Guardian's Beloved
by Crimson-lips46
Summary: A/U-In all the eleven years she's been living, never has she encountered something that was out of this world. She knew she couldn't do it; her father was her control. She knew she had to do it; life was more important. She wasn't the only one...
1. Hinata's Scheduled Life

_**A/N- Just wanted to see how this would turn out since I am absolutely in love with ShikaHina now!! XD Had a SasuHina story to work on, but I lost all inspiration since I didn't like it anymore after reading a very good ShikaHina story(that isn't even finished yet by the way)….But don't worry, I will do everything in my power to not lose interest in this story!! Since it will be my first ShikaHina!! Please, if you can, review please. I accept constructive criticism only, I can take it…I like honesty even if it hurts! XD BUT if you will do nothing but flame my story with no particular reason behind it….you'll just be making a fool/ass of yourself….not me…..Thank you very much and enjoy…….**_

_**Edit: took out the schedule after reading it over...I thought it unnecessary...;P But I'll put it back if needed...who knows...also got rid of the poem.....thought it sucked later...I can't remember where I got it from... :?  
**_

* * *

_**Guardian's Beloved**_

* * *

_**Chapter 1: Hinata's Scheduled Life**_

A young girl that looked no older than eleven years of age and stood about four feet and nine inches in height, calmly walked down the long corridor of her, considerably large, home of a mansion. She was already dressed and ready for the first day of her eighth year in a well-known private school. The uniform she wore consisted of a white long-sleeved sailor top with a maroon-colored collar that was double lined with silver-grey stripes and rested neatly on her petite-like shoulders with matching cuffs. A silver-grey bow neatly popped in front of her well-endowed chest with a maroon button placed in the middle under the end of the collar to hold the bow in place. Luckily she was small for her age because if she wasn't, her top would have revealed some cleavage. Fitting her upper form tighter than it did now; thanks to her over-developing chest. Her thigh-length skirt matched the dark color of her collar as it hiked a little higher with every step that she took. Her white-stockings reached a little past her knees with her black three-inch heeled leather mary-jane shoes buckled evenly against her feet; Shoes she didn't believe she should be wearing at her age. The heels were her main problem.

Midnight-blue hair moved gently against her small heart-shaped face; hiding her petite un-pierced ears for her hair was cut evenly just an inch above her shoulders. A maroon-colored hair-band set on her head as her evenly cut bangs reached just above her pale-lilac eyes. She was heading straight toward the dining hall after one of her many servants informed her that her father was awaiting, not only her, but her cousin and sister's appearances to receive their schedules for the year.

A schedule.

She sighed at the thought.

A schedule was her life.

Her way of living.

A schedule was her very existence.

The ultimate way to control her every move by the one whom brought her to this world.

You would think that it was her mother, the one who actually birthed her. But of course, her father never saw it that way. He believed that she was to be another him. Apart of only his flesh and blood. As if she never even had a mother. She was always led to believe that her mother never existed since she had left her father after giving birth to her younger sister. And when she would always ask why her mother left, her father would simply reply….

"_She never mattered."_

And that would be all.

He had never spoken anything else of her except for those three words; as though she truly didn't matter. But she was able to see through her father's façade. Every time she did mention the subject of her mother and every time he would answer with the same words; his face would be like stone, but his eyes spoke volumes. She would always see an emotion that she would never see before out of him. An emotion that was very foreign to her; something she was very unfamiliar with. Especially considering that he had never, in all the memories that she has of him, never had he showed her or her sister in any way, shape, or form any love or affection whatsoever. Not a single emotional moment at all. He never smiled, he never laughed, he was never angry, he was never sad, he was never happy, he was always…….nothing. The same look was always plastered on his face.

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

His face was always blank.

Even when he was supposedly proud of her academic achievements; He would never show it.

Mainly because he expected her to do well; He would, of course, accept nothing less out of her. He would give her a specified advanced lesson, and she was to master it within a month. No matter what it was; whether it was in sports or in music, she was to master it within her given time. And he would always give her a month.

Nothing less.

She couldn't exactly remember when it was that he had first given her a schedule for her year, but from the looks of it. It must have been since the day she was born, probably even before. He wanted her to be the best that he was. The most achieved of her years. He was pampering her to be the best in all the country, the best above her time, and the best to take over the family business.

They were known as the Hyuugas; the strongest business family across the country.

They owned just about everything anyone has ever stepped foot in. From local supermarkets to private shopping malls; they owned it. Even the big guns like national banks and popular fairgrounds where most of the money was made; they owned it. From the largest business to the smallest business; it never mattered to them, as long as they owned it and made a lot of money for it. That's all it was about…money.

The young girl sighed as she was almost to her destination when realization hit her.

The money.

It was always about the money.

Another reason why she had a scheduled life.

Money.

They're family was so rich they could've bought more than three countries if they wanted to. If this wasn't enough, then perhaps half of the world; also why they only keep their business within the family. They had very few business partners that consisted of only two other families. These two other families were rich of course, but not as wealthy as they were and also not as powerful. They owned some businesses, top of the line. However, it would never compare to the business her family controls. In fact, no one would ever compare.

These two other families were trustworthy in her father's point of view. They have been partners for generations on end, and they expected this to last for however long that it would. Therefore, for their strong bond to continue, they've placed their older children together of the same age group to spend as much time with each other as possible. Everything that was on the schedules her father would prepare for her, her sister, and her cousin had always required them to spend time with their partner's families. To do this, they were all placed in the same academic private school for the intelligent and the wealthy.

The Uchiha family and the Uzumaki family.

Within her cousin's age group…there was no one but since he and the eldest of the Uchiha family's son were on the same level…..they had them together almost at all times during the school hours.

Within her age group, there was one from both families. The only son of the Uzumaki family and the second born of the Uchiha family; they too were scheduled to be with her at all times before, during, and sometime after school. Why this was so? She was the next to take over her family business when she became of age. They too, were in preparation. They're families thought it best for them to get to know each other at a young age, so when they were older, they would trust each other as completely as their parents did.

The only fortunate one, in her point of view, was her younger sister whom did not have to put up with business-family company. But there was someone who her father had pressed upon her because they were very wealthy and her sister interacted with him well. A Sarutobi was the family. And they were only wealthy due to past royalties. This impressed her father and he believed that his youngest daughter needed someone of such history. However, she believed he was referring to their family history. The Sarutobi was only someone who could make her father wealthier; simply an addition to the family's power.

At least both her and her cousin enjoyed their given company, Uchiha Itachi and Sarutobi Konohamaru; resulting in a very strong friendship. Whereas she, was literally saddened by her said company.

Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke.

Why?

First off, Uchiha Sasuke was an ice prince of his own world. The aura emitting from around him would always and forever give off _'I look better then you so therefore I am better then you'. _He was a conceded jerk with nothing but one-worded answers to blow-off all questions. He believed that there was no one in this world that could show him up or even cross his line. He was the best as far as he was concerned and no one could tell him otherwise. Every time she would even show a tinge of kindness or try to start a friendly conversation, he would either ignore her or glare icily at her for even attempting such an interaction. Sometimes, he would even threaten her for simply glancing his way. She couldn't say that she was afraid of him or that she disliked him, because in truth, she didn't. She just wasn't all that fond of him, the way he would treat her only made her feel sorry for herself, all because she had no choice but to put up with it. If he were anyone else, she would have long ago abandoned him unless he wanted to speak with her and become her friend; not that it was likely. She would never ignore him; she wasn't that kind of person. Though you would think that her father acted this way since he was in fact, similar. But believe it or not, the Uchiha had emotions….they were just negative emotions. Not unresponsive or simply nothing like her father. Just, negative.

Then, there was Uzumaki Naruto. He used to be very kind to her in their younger days; very kind to her indeed. He would buy her simple things like teddy bears and candy. They were kids after all. He would always call her sweet and give her bone-crushing hugs. He was always very excited to see her and played with her all the time. Everything they did, he would always put her first, just like a gentleman would even if so young. He would always give her those toothy-bright grins that lit up a room. A grin that would always haunt her happy dreams. He would always give her a call to wish her a happy morning and later a goodnight to wish her sweet dreams. He was so loveable and likable. He was the complete opposite of Uchiha Sasuke. He would never say an unkind word to her, and he would defend her every time Sasuke would……all of these gestures and interactions resulting in her liking him to the point that it developed into something more. A feeling she, because of her father, didn't quite understand. Until just a year ago, when his godfather died, he became exactly what she knew all too well.

Emotionless.

Just like her father.

His smiles had stopped, his gift-giving had stopped, he never played with her anymore, and he stopped calling her altogether. He wouldn't even speak with her anymore, let alone glance her way. When she would try to talk to him, he would simply stare at her. No expression on his face at all. Just stare. She had better luck getting a response from Sasuke then she did Naruto. He had been another version of her father. That is, until a couple of months ago when she tried to give him something as a gift at a get together party between the families, he was angry beyond comprehension. She couldn't understand it but as she gave him his gift, he snatched it out of her hand and threw into the wall, shattering the present she worked hard to put together. Attracting the attention from everyone in the room, luckily their parents weren't present at the time; it probably would have been the end of their partnership because of what Naruto had done. He said the utmost hateful things she has never heard in her entire life, all in one setting. He called her out of her name with plenty of unpleasant and disrespectful words all because he was annoyed by her very appearance. He said he was tired of her in his face all the time, he was tired of her smiling-the fakest-smile he's ever seen, he was tired of her being around as though nothing had happened to his godfather. He was basically blaming her for things that had nothing to do with her. He was tired of her apologizing and telling him she understood when she didn't. No one had died that was important to her. He told her that she will never know how he felt. He told her……he hated her. It was as if he needed someone to take out his pain upon.

Why did it have to be her?

Their friendship was never the same again, and after that night. It was the first time, she cried. She cried so hard she couldn't remember when she fell to sleep. And the next day, they didn't even acknowledge each other. They hadn't for some time. Later, she had quickly gotten over the incident. She never held a grudge. And just the other day when she finally worked up the courage to say hello since he was talking with Sasuke. She had thought he was feeling better but he turned her way and glared at her, colder than Sasuke. And called her a couple of words he didn't even use that night. Of all the names he did call her, he didn't say this.

'_Ugly Bitch.'_

At that moment, her heart stopped. Tears had sprung up in her eyes but she had refused to let them flow. She simply frowned before turning on her heel and walking away. She wanted to ask herself why? Why couldn't she have her own friends? She wouldn't have to put up with this if she had her own friends. Why? She could understand some of her father's meaning, but it's not like if she made friends that they would suddenly take over her family business by just being her friend. That would be impossible. She didn't understand. But she knew her questions would never be answered. She may never know, and truth be told….

Only time will tell.

She suddenly came to a halt in front of her destination. The large dining hall shined brightly from the sun's undying rays, gleaming through the beautifully designed windows as it's deep royal-blue curtains were neatly placed apart on either sides of each window, held together by lovely white bows that were finely thinned. The walls were a dark color, something she was never able to make out due to the fact that they were covered with several different types of paintings. Paintings of all sizes. The biggest painting however was extremely noticeable because it was above the fireplace in the center of the large hall and was directly across from the main doors where she stood. The painting went from the edge of the wall near to the ceiling, to the significantly tall fireplace. Not your average small fireplace, no, but a large one that was rarely lit due to its size. She never saw a reason for it to be so big, but this was her father….he loved the best.

The painting was a picture of her, her father, her sister, her uncle, and her cousin. The two fathers stood respectively in the back behind the children of course. Both had their hands at their sides standing stiffly in traditional black kimonos. They may have been identical twins but the entire family knew the difference. Whereas one smiled the other didn't. It was also how she knew the difference.

In the front of the two men stood the children; she in the middle, her cousin on her left, and her sister on her right. She was of age eight, her cousin age nine, and her sister age three. Her cousin had worn the same kimono as their fathers whereas both she and her sister wore cute little lavender yukatas. All three children were smiling brightly with their hands entwined. This had always been one of her favorite pictures because of the warm feeling it would admit into their hall, even if her father wasn't smiling. It was still a happy painting. Whether she understood the emotion or not.

The young girl sighed as she remembered the first day the photo was taken but before her mind could get into the memory; a hand was placed gently on her shoulder. She would have jumped in surprise if it weren't for being used to someone touching her out of her thoughts within her home and she had figured that it was one of the servants anyway. She turned her head toward the figure that was now standing next to her. She then smiled gently when she saw who it was.

"Ohayou, Neji-nii-san." Said the young girl softly as the older male returned the smile with a nod.

"Ohayou, Hinata-sama." Said the male, now known as Neji as he removed his hand from her shoulder. His long hair was the color of chocolate-brown that went to his waist with a small maroon-colored rubber-band that set low to keep his hair from going astray. He was wearing the school uniform that consisted of a white short-sleeved shirt with a silver-grey tie that matched his wrist watch. His pants were the same color as her skirt with a matching jacket that he had not buttoned up. His shoes were a shiny black and very distinguished. His eyes were the same color as hers only a bit paler.

He...was flat out gorgeous and over protective at that. He was very popular with the female population across the country. In fact, most of the Hyuugas were very popular with both female and male populations. The young girl, Hinata, too was very popular among both parties; As well as her sister with the younger generation. They never truly understood why looks were everything to some people, but they figured that it was simply just what people preferred sometimes. Physical attraction was always a given, but for both Neji and Hinata….looks never mattered. They were not raised to see things this way. A person's personality and intellect was the most important within their family. Looks meant nothing. However, decency was always taken into accord.

"Hinata-sama? Do you know if Otou-san has returned from his trip to the Americas?" politely asked Neji as he glanced around the room. Hinata, too, looked around in search of her father before answering.

"Iie. I believe he was not to return until later this evening?" replied Hinata as Neji then nodded, a strange look was suddenly upon his face.

"I must say, where is Hiashi-sama? He is usually here before us. I was informed that he was already waiting." Said Neji as he stepped further into the dining hall. The large table that set on the left was vacant and the couch in front of the fireplace was empty.

"Hai. As was I…….demo….Hanabi's not here either." Said Hinata as she again, looked around the large hall with her cousin.

"I am here." Came a small voice from a distance on the other side of the dining hall on the right that held a considerable sized business desk with a few chairs in front of it. Startled, they both quickly turned to the voice, forgetting to take a look on the other side due to the fact that he would always stand in front of either the fireplace or the table. However so, when they did take in the area, Hiashi was still absent, leaving only Hanabi seated in one of the four chairs. She was looking over the chair at them, with a small smile. She was wearing the same uniform as Hinata, only difference was that her mary-janes were heelless of course. Her chocolate-colored hair was pulled back from the hair-band that she wore and her eyes were the same pale-lilac.

"Ohayou, Hanabi-nee-chan. Has Otou-sama been here at all?" asked Hinata as she walked over toward the chairs, Neji in tow, and took a seat next to her sister while Neji seated himself on her other side with Hanabi in the middle.

"Hai, he said he will return with our full schedules in a moment. He wanted to add a few things. I believe we are receiving different studies this year." Replied Hanabi before sighing lightly; both her and Neji too, wished they were able to choose exactly what they wanted to do for a change. But of course, it wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

"I wonder what musical instrument we will be playing this year? I've been looking forward to the piano." Said Hinata with a small smile as both Hanabi and Neji nodded, smiling as well. They were always what you'd call smiley people, at least Hinata was, but it would never reach their eyes. When they were younger, it was different for them because they were innocent and slightly small-minded. However, now they knew many things, Hanabi of course still had a lot to learn but she was no fool. She understood all that she could. Both Neji and Hinata understood more, but there were very few emotions on their lists. They knew kindness, they knew concern, they knew sadness, and they knew control. However, they did not know pain, they didn't know hate or anger, they didn't know friendship, and they didn't know love. At least, all of these pertained to Hinata. Hanabi and Neji understood some form of friendship but never have they understood any form of sadness, all thanks to their daily company. Whereas with her, she would, sadly; probably never look forward to her company again.

"Hai. I too have been looking forward to a different instrument this year. I've been more interested in learning the flute." Said Hanabi as she straightened her posture in the chair; folding her hands together in her lap.

"I don't blame you; I heard it has a very interesting tune. What about you Neji-nii-san? Is there a specified instrument you would like to play this year?" asked Hinata curiously as she too straightened her posture before her father came in. She crossed her legs and placed her hands together, as well, in her lap. This was always how their conversations were approached; with intellect and respectfulness. These were the kind of conversations that people under their level would find boring. These were the kind of conversations that people on or above their level would find interesting. Even one so simple; it was still interesting.

"I do. I wish to play the piano as well or perhaps the violin. Itachi-san has given the violin a chance and has stated that he very much enjoyed it. I wouldn't mind the experience." Replied Neji, also straightening his posture with his back up right and both arms resting on the chair. Within that moment, the door on the far end of the desk had opened from another room; revealing the person they've been waiting for. They immediately turned their attention to him as he calmly walked over to take a seat behind his desk.

"Ohayou, I am glad to see all of you are ready this morning for your next year in school. I hope you will experience a considerable amount of knowledge from the classes that I have assigned to you this year. I found them to be acceptable and I hope you will enjoy them. Please rise and I will hand them to you." Said Hiashi with a certain power and authority within his voice, his expression was the same blank look that it always held, never once did he smile. The three young ones stood and stepped forward toward the desk. Three sheets of paper was placed in front of them as they then reached to pick them up.

"Please look them over and offer me your thoughts."

They then began reading everything that was on their schedules for the year. Their school hours were the same and the number of classes never changed. They had a total of eight classes. Four for each day, two-hours a class, one hour of lunch, and nine total hours of school; From seven in the morning to three in the afternoon. And after school was out, they had another schedule to follow. All of this was upon the same paper they held; even a small biography of what her father set up for them. For what reasons-they did not know.

Hinata looked over her schedule again and frowned slightly but not noticeably. The instrument she wanted to play this year was, of course, not on her schedule. Instead, it was actually the instrument that Neji had taken an interest in. She then wondered what instruments they had assigned to them; probably something they didn't want as well. However, they knew better then to complain or question the reasoning as to why they were assigned. It's not like they let him know their interest, he would always choose what was best for them.

Hiashi waited patiently for them to understand and register accordingly what was given to them. He believed the subjects he chose and the given times he scheduled was a well balance for their daily lives. Especially for Hinata since she was the next to take over the family company after him. He was preparing her to his liking.

"I am sorry to disturb you Hiashi-sama..demo…Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, and Sarutobi Konohamaru have arrived."

The three then looked up from their schedules and turned to the voice a few feet behind them as Hiashi looked past them as well. Standing in the middle of the room before the entrance was one of the many servants with short brown hair, obsidian eyes, and pale skin in her maid uniform. She was holding up three-dark brown brief bags, holding them before her—patiently to be received by the three when they took their leave.

"Understood, Saya." Hiashi then turned his attention toward the three in front him as they brought their attention back to him as well. "We will discuss your schedules after dinner tonight during our family meeting. I would like to know how your day went and exactly what was new to your knowledge, arigatou. You are dismissed."

"Hai!"

They all respectfully bowed before him and turned on their heel to walk toward Saya to receive their own brief-bags. Saya then bowed in their presence as both Neji and Hanabi took their leave without thanking her.

"Arigatou, Saya-chan." Whispered Hinata; so her family wouldn't hear her; she slightly bowed to the maid before following her sister and cousin as she walked out of the room. Hinata was the only one in her family to show the servants any kind of respect by thanking them for their services and sometimes-unnoticeably-helping them with their services. They loved Hinata a great deal, even if she never understood their feelings toward her and her feelings toward them. She simply thought it was the polite thing to do since she was—of course—raised in that manner, but her father failed to explain to her the ranking in how someone should be treated. Even if there were plenty of people out there under their level, he had still taught her respect but he didn't teach her that if someone was under you, you treated them that way and if there was someone on the same level as you, you respect them in that way; the same would go if there was someone above you. It was as though both Neji and Hanabi knew of these circumstances without needing to be told but Hinata did not know. Regardless, she would probably still treat them the same as she did everyone else; with respect.

Saya smiled gently as she watched Hinata leave. _'She looks so much like her mother. She acts like her too. I wonder……if she is ready."_

_

* * *

  
_

* * *

Hinata's steps fell into pace between the two other males that walked beside her as they made their way to their first class. As usual, today's greeting before they left hadn't changed at all.

_Hinata stepped in front of the two males that waited for her. Both Neji and Itachi along with Hanabi and Konohamaru had left in their respective limos assigned for them even though they all went to the same school. Their parents had agreed that it was good for bonding amongst them. Uchiha Sasuke had his back turned and his hands in his pockets, wearing the same uniform that Neji wore with a brief bag strapped steadily at his side. His hair was the color of a dark night and was spiked in the back with spiked bangs above his onyx-colored eyes in the front. _

_Uzumaki Naruto however looked to be his exact opposite. His hair was the color of a sunny day; brightest of all blondes with spikes that pointed everywhere. His eyes was the color of a beautiful sky-blue that Hinata…at one point….fell into a trance upon staring into the bright orbs. He too, wore the male's school uniform with his brief-bag strapped at his side. He stood next to Sasuke, also with his back turned and hands in his pocket, only difference was that his posture was slightly leaned whereas Sasuke's was perfectly straight. Hinata wasn't sure if she should say anything to them or not, especially after the other day. She actually didn't have a problem with trying to talk to Sasuke because she knew how he would react. But with Naruto, he was different now. Before he ignored her or simply said nothing to her. Recently he gave her the cold shoulder and blew her off with a couple of rude words. What would he do today? She didn't know how he was feeling, especially since he had his back turned away from her as Sasuke did. So she wasn't able to read him. However, since she was raised to respect others. _

_She simply had to be polite._

"_Ohayou, Uchiha-san."_

"_Whatever." _

_Naturally he hadn't even turned to acknowledge her; typical Uchiha Sasuke. She then turned her attention to Naruto._

"_Ohayou, Uzumaki-san." _

"……_."_

_Even though it was rude to not say anything to her, she was actually happy he didn't, she wasn't completely sure if she really wanted him to. But as she began to walk up to them and walk past them to get to the door; sadly, he replied._

"_Heartless Bitch."_

_She paused in her steps but not long enough for them to take noticed as she continued on her way to the door with them following behind her.-Pretending as though she heard nothing at all._

As her memory of the event ceased, she still couldn't help but feel a bit down from the words he had called her that morning. First, she was an '_ugly bitch'_. She couldn't exactly blame him for the word ugly since she didn't exactly know how to view herself based solely on her looks. Everyone had their own opinion on how they would view a person from, not only their attire, but the shape of a person's body, face, and hair. Everyone had a different intake on a person, so if he found her to be ugly. She didn't care. It had somewhat bothered her at first, due to her unknown feelings for him at the time, but after it sunk in and she thought about it clearly. It was his point of view and his opinion, there was nothing she could do to change it, and so she simply didn't care.

But bitch?

No.

Even though she believed in the personal opinion of others and that everyone had their own view of people from their experiences…she knew very well that she was no bitch. The definition of the word can mean three things—as far as she knew—a dog, a spiteful woman, or a complaint. All of these were obviously used differently and in her case; he was calling her spiteful. Spiteful? Since when? Never has she ever been in a situation where she was redeemed as spiteful. She was always as she respectful as she was raised. Not once in all of the years she has been living has she ever been spiteful. She wondered what made him view her in that way.

Secondly, he recently called her a '_heartless bitch.' _What had she done for him to call her heartless? They had barely exchanged words in the past few months and he calls her heartless. Why? All she said was a simple good morning and she is deemed heartless?

She sighed quietly as they 'rounded a corner in front of the other two in the brightly lit hallway.

She may never understand.

"Watch out!"

Before Hinata could comprehend what was going on in the world around her, something extremely hard and metallic-like slammed into her face as her body lost its balance and flew back onto the hard-smooth floor.

"Watch where the hell you're going." Spat a rather feminine and rough voice before slamming the locker, the thing she walked into, shut before walking away down the hall. Hinata shook her head slightly to wear off the impact before looking up at the retreating back that didn't even bother with an apology. It was a girl from what she could tell; her uniform was the same as hers if not a bit—loose—but what caught Hinata's eye was the color of her hair. She had never seen such a color before; there were many different colors—yes—but never one that bright and odd. She was the kind of person you'd be able to pick out of a large crowd. Similar with her due to the color of her eyes; Only the Hyuuga family, held eyes so pale and yet so unique.

'_How rude.'_ Thought Hinata as she picked herself up and brushed off the back of her skirt and legs. She then continued to stare at the retreading back as the girl went further and further down the hall.

"What are you waiting on baka? An apology? She's gone and we don't have all day. Next time look where going. Not everyone is going to be sweet to little miss Hyuuga."

Sasuke then brushed passed her carelessly after speaking to her coldly as he continued on his way to class. Naruto had said nothing as he followed behind Sasuke. It was as if nothing happened to her at all. She would admit that it was her fault for not paying attention but the least they could have done was ask if she was okay or maybe help her up for a change. Then again…..

'_This is Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto. Of course they didn't care. I obviously mean nothing.' _Thought Hinata sadly as she followed behind the two boys obediently.

As soon as they made it to their first class—Chemistry—Hinata had decided it best to sit as far away from the two as possible. She truly wasn't fond of dealing with the two during class; they would probably be unresponsive about their work together anyway. At least if it was her.

She took a seat by the window, and since it was a science class, the desks were replaced as black tables. Enough room for two people at each table. She took off her brief-bag and dug inside for a pen and paper, since it was the first day it would usually consist of taking notes explaining what was to be expected for the term. There was few people already in the class but more were to be expected, and since this was a 9th year class; she expected to see very unfamiliar faces for she, Sasuke, and Naruto were all in their eighth year. They were advanced enough to be apart of advanced chemistry for the 9th year students.

'_I wonder if I'll have any classes with Neji-nii-san this year. I usually do.'_

As soon as she thought of her cousin, he stepped into the room. Hinata smiled a small smile when Neji's eyes scanned the room carefully before landing on her. He smiled back before making his way toward her as the rest of the students filed into the room and taking their seats before their sensei arrived.

"Hinata-sama, I am pleased to see we have the same class together. Although it's not a surprise since Hiashi-sama required us to take a few classes together. I hope there are others today." Said Neji as he took his seat next to her.

"Yes, I hope so as well."

The bell then sounded; indicating that everyone should already be seated within their classes and out of the halls. If they were not, then they would receive detention until their next class was to be held. At the same moment the teacher then walked in, sliding the door closed behind him as he cleared his throat and stood in front of the class. He waited until he had everyone's full attention.

"Ohayou, minna. I am Professor Shigure Matsumoto and I will be teaching you advanced Chemistry for the 9th year students of this term—including—a few students of the eighth year. Welcome to your first class, minna." He cleared his throat again before crossing his arms as he continued. "Before we get started and I explain exactly what's to be expected this term, I would like to introduce to you a new student who just moved here from a distant area of Japan. Please rise and introduce yourself to the class."

Everyone in the room turned their attention to a female student that stood from her seat and walked to the front of the class.

'_Hey, that's the same girl from earlier. '_Thought Hinata as she looked the girl over. Her hair was the color of a beautiful Sakura-tree; a pink that Hinata had never thought could be a hair color. It was short and shoulder-length with spiked ends. Her bangs set on either side of her face, revealing a forehead that seemed bigger then average. Her eyes shined an emerald green as her skin was a light peach. Her uniform was like all the other female students, but as Hinata had concluded earlier, it seemed….'loose'. Her skirt looked shorter and hanged slightly off of her waist, making it look sloppy but attractive at the same time. A bit too…attractive, especially for her age. Her top was also shorter, slightly revealing her belly; if she was to stretch, then her belly-button would pop in all its glory. Her hands were on her hip with a frown upon her face as she tapped her foot in what looked to be aggravation.

'_I wonder if something is bothering her.'_

"My name is Sakura Haruno. A pleasure." Scowled the girl as though she was wasting her time introducing herself to the class and as soon as she said her name, the entire classroom erupted into a barrage of whispers.

"I heard about the Harunos. They are local whores."

"I mean look at how she wears her uniform."

"I find it disgusting."

"I find it inappropriate."

"The males here are intelligent; I hope she knows she can't sleep her way to the top."

"That could be how she got into this school."

"The front of the school says..and I quote..'For the intellectual and wealthy.'"

"I highly doubt she's either."

"And her hair, my goodness is it for Halloween?"

"She's probably late this year."

"Or perhaps she's too early."

Hinata slightly cringed at the extremely rude comments the new student was receiving. She was actually glad that she wasn't in her shoes right now, however she still felt down for the girl. No one, for whatever the reason it may be, should undergo such negative treatment involving negative and hurtful words. She wasn't sure if the girl heard what was being said, but Hinata heard them very clearly, it was beginning to unsettle her.

"Hinata-sama? Do you understand as to why everyone is speaking of her in that way?" quietly asked Neji, for he too could hear the commotion that was going on around them.

"Iie. It would seem that just about everyone here has heard of the Harunos. We on the other hand, have never heard of them." Replied Hinata with as much thought as she could muster. Neji nodded his head with understanding. Their gazes never left the front of the class as they waited for their teacher. The girl, Sakura, seemed to be even more aggravated then she was before as she shifted her stance to crossing her arms.

"Haruno-san? Are you going to tell the class where you are from and why you came here?" asked the teacher before Sakura sent him a glare.

"No."

"Now, please Haruno-san. It would be a pleasure to….."

"I said no." snapped Sakura interrupting the teacher sternly before rudely taking her seat. The class murmured some more about how the Haruno was acting.

'_She wasn't even dismissed. That was rude.'_ thought Hinata as she watched the girl sit down in the far back. Hinata watched as the girl bit down on her thumb-nail with a saddened look that appeared slightly upon her features. Hinata wasn't completely sure since she was looking down in the process. Her gaze must have lingered too long because when Sakura had looked up; their eyes locked. Hinata wanted to smile and wave politely but the girl scowled as she gave her the finger before turning away. Hinata frowned and turned her attention back to the front of the class.

'_Rude indeed.'_

"Now that that's over, I have another thing that I would like to get through before we officially start."

Everyone watched and waited silently, the Haruno girl forgotten, as the teacher reached for a chart that was on his desk.

"I'm sorry to inform you, but there will be assigned seats this year."

Everyone silently groaned.

"Also, there are a few empty seats; I've decided that instead of two students a table, there will be four students a table for the entire term."

This time, everyone openly groaned—all except Hinata and Neji.

'_I just hope I don't get stuck with Uchiha-san and Uzumaki-san. Onegai, Kami…not this class.'_

After a few moments of rearranging the room and students. The tables were now together with two of each, making a bigger table. Four students sat together, each facing each other.

Hinata was obviously down in her luck as she glanced at each person that was seated with her. She should have been relieved that she didn't get both Naruto and Sasuke. However, she was better off if she had only gotten Sasuke.

Instead, she had gotten Naruto, who was seated across from her but on the other side. In front of her sat Sakura Haruno—looking very displeased with the arrangement—she had been sitting alone before, but now she had company. It was obvious that she didn't like it.

Next to Hinata, sat someone who she has seen before but never got around talking to. He was deemed to be the smartest boy in school and at the same time…the laziest. His elbow rested on the black surface with his palm underneath his chin as he stared blankly at the front of the class. He wore the school uniform, only he had his jacket off and wrapped around his waist. His raven-colored hair was held tightly together in a ponytail with spiked ends. His eyes were a light-brown color and his skin was pale peach. His expression seemed….rather…bored as he continued to look in front of the class.

Hinata looked him over again as she remembered seeing him several times in her classes before for many years. He was a very lazy person; he never did much of anything in their classes. She had always questioned why he had always passed all of his classes with a straight A. She had never heard him speak before, but from what she heard from others, he tended to use the term...'troublesome' frequently. He was a genius on many levels and regardless of his naps during class—which is rude by the way—he would always answer a question with thorough precision and knowledge. Regardless of the topic, he always knew the answer. He was very good in many fields, why is it that they have never communicated?

'_I wonder why.'_

Hinata continued to size the male up with an interest she didn't quite understand. She took in his expression and the profile of the side of his features.

'_His ears are pierced. That's odd for a male. At least to me anyway.'_

"Ugh, stop staring at him. He is a boy. Quit acting like you've never seen one before." Scoffed Sakura as Hinata quickly turned her head away from the male next to her; embarrassed. She didn't think she was staring, but she probably was.

"G-g-gomen-nasai…Please excuse my behavior I didn't mean to stare." Said Hinata lowly as she suddenly began to fidget with her fingers when a sudden rush of heat burned across her cheeks.

This is the first time that this as ever happened to her in a _very_ long time, and Hinata didn't like it. It took everything in Hiashi's power to get her to stop stuttering, blushing, and feeling ashamed for whatever action she may have done. Her father had explained to her that it was called shyness, and it was not something the Hyuuga family portrayed. They were strong, independent, and well-controlled individuals. There was no room for such a pathetic attitude like shy. He had broken her out of these actions years ago. Why have they suddenly resurfaced?

"It's fine."

Surprised, Hinata turned her head toward the voice that came from beside her. The male was still in the same position, only his eyes were now looking at her. His features still seemed a bit bored, however, this time a smirk played upon his lips. A very lazy smirk she concluded. And as she thought about it, could she even call it a smirk?

"Hai." Replied Hinata kindly with a nod as Sakura rolled her eyes and the other male looked away.

"Alright class, now that we have everything in order, I will be passing out a packet containing everything that you will be learning this term. As well as a two-page quiz regarding everything you already know about Chemistry. If you know nothing, then simply leave it blank." Said Shigure as he walked about the classroom, passing around four packets a table.

"Although, that would be a shame because I'll begin to wonder how you made into my class in the first place." The teacher added jokingly. A few students chuckled as some looked around expectantly.

"Hmm, I wondered that too."

The voice was low and feminine but was clearly heard throughout the class as few heads turned their gazes toward the table where Hinata and the others sat, obviously looking at Sakura. Hinata looked her way as well; only because everyone else was, half-expecting to see her scowl at her. But her head was bent low with her side bangs slightly covering her eyes. Hinata frowned.

"Now, now class. Do not be ignorant. I am most positive that all of you worked your way to get here. I wasn't implying anything." Said the teacher as he came to a stop by the table Hinata and the others were seated. He placed their packets in the middle of the table while staring at the male seated beside her.

"Ah, Nara Shikamaru….I've heard many great things about you. As well as many unfortunate things about your _habits_ during class and before you get too comfortable….I'll have you know, the moment you walk through my door, you better make sure you've taken an energy supplement of some sort because you will NOT be sleeping within my classroom. Save it for someone who will not care…. Are we understood?"

"Whatever." Replied the male, Nara Shikamaru as he shifted his position for the teacher had leaned closer within his face. Shigure then smirked with a nod before looking at Hinata with a gentle smile.

Suddenly……

…the room grew dark and everything around her fell silent. Her body felt as though it was being forced upon by something extremely strong to the point where her breath had caught in her throat, slowing down her breathing and stiffening her body.

Hinata looked confused as she stared at the man before her. His hair was just brown and his eyes were just green. Who was this man? His hair turned a color that looked exactly like blood that held a certain silkiness to it as it fell down to his mid-back. His eyes changed into a deep-blue that, a moment ago, held a certain brightness to them. Now, they looked as though they were…glowing? Thin slits began to form within them as his gentle smile turned dark. Her sudden confusion turned into a feeling that was extremely foreign to her. A feeling that she had never would have imagine washing over her so strongly.

Fear.

"Hyuuga Hinata. I am most pleased to see you finally here. I knew your mother couldn't keep you hidden from us for long. The shield she had up has long since dispersed from her lack of power. I've been watching you for quite some time now, waiting for the perfect moment to have you all to myself. You have something we want……and later……" he leaned in closer to her face as he cupped her chin. Hinata tried to pull away….but something kept her from doing so, she couldn't even budge an inch.

"I'll finally have what rightfully belongs to me....guardian."

'_Guardian?'_

With that, everything suddenly returned to normal as soon as the words left his mouth. Shigure walked away from the table and finished passing out the papers as though nothing happened at all. Hinata coughed hard from the sudden lack of oxygen and the overwhelming feeling of a sudden rush of being terrified. She didn't know what just happened or if she was day dreaming or not. She couldn't believe what she just went through. That was far beyond imagination to her. Never had she felt something flood through her body as quickly as she did now. She was frightened. Terrified. Confused. Shocked.

'_What was that just now? Did that really just happen to me or am I dreaming?'_ thought Hinata as she sucked in her breath before steadily breathing it out. It was slightly ragged but it was close to normal. Her body was slightly shaking as she rested her hands within her lap, trying to regain her posture.

"Are you alright?"

Startled, Hinata jumped slightly at the voice and sharply turned her head with wide eyes. Shikamaru's eyebrow rose at her sudden action; he didn't know he scared her. He hadn't meant to, he simply heard her coughing deeply out of nowhere and had thought something was wrong.

Relieved that it was only the male next to her, Hinata sighed gratefully to calm herself before answering clearly. However, she found it difficult to place her words together without stammering.

"H-h-h-hai! G-g-gomen-nasai! I-i-I d-didn't m-mean to worry you." Hinata breathed in deeply again before releasing a calm breath. "I am fine."

Shikamaru watched her a moment as she tried to smile, but it came out more like a grimace. His eyebrows knitted themselves together slightly before turning away. "Troublesome odd girl."

Hinata didn't catch what he said because as soon as he turned away she tuned him and the entire classroom out as she thought about what happened. Why wasn't he acting the way she was? Why wasn't any of the class acting the way she was? Could it be because they didn't see anything and only she did? Was she the only one that saw what had happened? Was she the only one who heard what the man had said? Why was it that his hair and eyes changed color so quickly? Why couldn't she move when he touched her? Why was any of this happening?

'_Wait…'_ That's when it dawned on her at what the man had told her. _'He was speaking of my mother…but why? I haven't seen her since I was a small child. What kind of power was he referring to? Also, he said that I had something that belonged to him…what could I possibly have? And then he mentioned……'_

"…_..Guardian."_

'_Guardian? What was a guardian?'_

Hinata was completely deep in thought as the events of just a moment ago played over and over again in her mind. She had to be thoughtful about the situation that had occurred. If there was no one else in the room that witnessed what had just happened, then there was no point in her overreacting. She had to stay calm and act like everyone else and as soon as class was over, she would get as far away from this room as humanly possible.

Not paying attention to the pair of widened-eyes that stared at her in both surprise and fear from across the table.

Little, did she know…Hinata wasn't the only one that had seen exactly what happened.

* * *

_**A/N- I decided to stop there, I would have continued but it was suddenly getting a bit too long, I wasn't sure if anyone was bothered or not. I know readers can't stand a short chapter but I'm not entirely sure if the same went for a long chapter you know? And NO!!! I am not bashing Sakura in any way, her personality as of right now is for character development. The same would go for the others, as the story goes along they will develop into the characters we all know and love..Okay? No misunderstandings? In fact, if anyone will review, the next chapter may be up sooner then you believe!! XD IF…you review, I CRAVE THEM!!! ;P . lol I'm joking…but I would appreciated it nonetheless. XD And sorry if this chapter came off boring, as I said, it will take time before it becomes more interesting. Please work with me…..**_

_**Next chapter: Sakura's Hot-tempered Life**_

_**Until next time, review please!!!**_

Return to Top


	2. Sakura's HotTempered Life

**A/N- AH!! I'm so sorry, I meant to have this up weeks ago but my father wanted me to spend some time with him….which is extremely rare because he's ALWAYS busy. . So I was happy to spend time with him for a while. XD ALSO, I need to find me a Beta!!! ;P I just realized that I may need one so if I have any volunteers, I would be thankful!! . If not, I need to search……That might be fun. I thank you all for the reviews, yes!!! I thank you very much!! XD I was happy!! Anyway, I've decided to introduce the other girls later and stick with Hinata(mainly) and Sakura, the others can wait. You'll find out why later. Also, Sakura's introduction as to why she's the way she is will be shorter then Hinata's since she doesn't necessarily live a very sheltered and controlled life. Also, thi s chapter is also boring. Soooo, enough of my rambling and on with the story!!! ;P Thank you!! ****_  
_**

* * *

_**Chapter 2: Sakura's Hot-tempered Life**_

A twelve-year old girl ran frantically around her small messy room in search of something important. Her short pink hair moved with her as she ran from one end of the room to the other after slamming her closet door shut. She quickly took the pale red comforter from her bed with the sheets and pillows to follow.

'Where are they?' she thought as she dropped to her knees and reached under her bed to remove several articles of clothing out of her way. She found nothing as she reached further to remove a few boxes that were placed before her.

"SAKURA, HURRY!! SCHOOL STARTS IN THIRTY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

"I'M COMING!! WAIT A MINUTE!!" shouted the girl before growling when she noticed that what she was looking for was not under her bed either. "Where are they, I just had those ugly things!!"

She shot to her feet as her short skirt almost slipped from her waist before she quickly caught it and placed it back up, not noticing that half of it slightly slipped back off.

"Ugh, where are those shoes, shannaro!!" growled Sakura as then looked around her plain room frantically. She didn't know how she could have lost them; they had recently moved there a couple of days ago. There was practically nothing in her room aside from her bed, dresser, and nightstand. Her walls were plain and her floor was bare; at least until she covered it with random articles of clothing due to her search. How did she lose those damn shoes?

"SAKURA!!!"

"I'M COMING!! I'M LOOKING FOR SOMETHING!!"

"NANI?!?!"

"I SAID I'M—"

"SAKURA WHAT DID YOU SAY?"

Sakura sucked in her breathe sharply, stomping her way toward her door as she quickly grabbed the knob and slammed the door open. She couldn't stand it when she had to repeat herself.

"I SAID I'M LOOKING FOR SOMETHING! WAIT A MINUTE!!" shouted Sakura in a rush as her voice traveled down the short hall of her home before footsteps could be heard creaking against the hollow wood floor as they neared to her room. Sakura sighed this time to keep herself from exploding. It was plainly obvious that she didn't hear her again since she was making her way to her room. She then leaned against the door frame as she watched an older version of herself ascend from a flight of stairs before turning down the hall as she walked towards her. Her long pink hair cascaded down her back to her waist with a few streaks of a grayish-white color within them. Her skin was pale and slightly aged with a few wrinkles that didn't exactly reveal to anyone an estimate of her age group. Especially with the blue skin-tight denim jeans with a matching jacket and pink tank top with matching six-inch heels that she wore. It was obvious that despite her age, she wore whatever she wanted. Even if it wasn't appropriate on certain occasions, she still wore what she wanted. Sakura was always embarrassed by this fact; especially when they went outside. Dressing that way no matter what your age was could always spark rumors. Rumors that that would spread all over the entire city...Rumors that always made it difficult for Sakura to fit in anywhere…Rumors that would piss her off.

She then frowned deeply as she crossed her arms in front of her when the woman came closer. '_Of course she's wearing make-up…..why am I not surprised.'_

The woman grinned brightly as she stopped in front of her as Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Now, what is it that you said, Sakura-baby!?" asked the woman as she reached to tug on Sakura's cheek playfully. Sakura then shifted and moved out of the way before the woman could touch her.

"I said I'm looking for something, you didn't have to come up here. And why are you wearing that outfit? You look desperate!" scowled Sakura as the woman sulked.

"Aww, come on Sakura…I don't look that bad, I mean let's face it, grandma will always look good!!" grinned her grandmother as she snapped her fingers and moved her hips in failed attempt to make Sakura laugh. Sakura, again, rolled her eyes before she turned to walk back into her room and continued her search as she proceeded to look underneath her dresser. Her grandmother stopped as her emerald-eyes curiously scanned her room before she frowned in disgust, watching as her granddaughter pushed the tall dresser away from the wall to look behind it.

"Sakura, your room is filthy, what exactly are you looking for?" her grandmother asked as she stepped into the room kicking the many articles of clothing out her way.

"Those ugly ass shoes! UGH!" sneered Sakura before grinding her teeth in frustration while moving the dresser back in place. "Where are those damn things!! I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR THEM ALL MORNING!!!"

"Calm down, honey. I'm sure you left them downstairs or something." Said her grandmother as she continued to kick the clothing out of her way until she kicked into something hard; stopping to take a closer look. She smiled brightly as she then realized that they were her shoes as she reached to pick them up.

"Ah, Sakura…Here are your shoes, you simply overlooked them they were—"

"Thanks Sakuri." Seethed Sakura while snatching the shoes out of her grandmother's hand. Sakuri scowled as she snatched them back.

"HEY!"

"Don't hey me! You don't snatch them out of my hand like I'm some friend of yours! You take them politely Sakura!! And what have I told you about calling me by my first name?! It's OBAA-CHAN to you, damn it!! Now ask for them nicely!!" fumed Sakuri as she scowled at her granddaughter. Sakura glared at the woman before her as her anger escalated, but she knew better then to cross her grandmother when she was angry. Her grandmother, at one point in her life, used to get just as upset as Sakura still did now. It wouldn't take much to anger either one of them. They would get angry at just about everything. It would usually take time to progress; it would usually take time to rise. However, ever since the day her mother had left them when Sakura was only a small child, her departure had left a great impact on their lives. Without so much as a goodbye, a note, or a letter; she was gone. This had not only saddened Sakuri, but it saddened Sakura as well. They both felt lonely without her since she was the only one with a smile that would brighten their day and lift up their spirits. She would always crack a joke or tease them to make them smile if someone made them frown. She would take their worries away with her very presence. Her happiness was their happiness. When she had left…..she took their happiness with her. This alone had resulted in Sakura being angry, Sakuri as well. However, with Sakura being so young the impact of her anger was stronger. It ran deep within the center of her very being, so deeply it turned from anger into fury and from fury into an intense amount of rage. So intense, Sakura would end up into several confrontations that resulted into a fight; Fights that she didn't always win by the way.

The reasons behind the confrontations, arguments, and fights were always the same. She didn't care if they talked about her looks, or when they would talk about how lonely she was, or how penny-less she was and the fact that she had no friends. Yes, this would sadden her. It would probably sadden anyone. However it would never anger her, at least not to a certain point, she would normally care less. But when they talked about her mother…….

…that was a completely different story.

The way she saw it….was that they could talk about her all they wanted to, pick on her all they wanted to, tease her, ignore her, throw things at her, bully her....she didn't care. But when it came down to her mother….no…...that was the red button.

Sakura would become so upset she would see red. Most of the time she would blow up simply after hearing the words…"You're mother…." She would never give the person a chance to finish. She was so used to receiving negative comments on her mother that she never paid attention or waited patiently for someone to finish their sentence. They could have been trying to say something nice but Sakura would never let the sentence finish. She would already be on the attack. Even it was a full-grown adult; she would still attack. It never mattered to her; she will fight anyone from a young girl to an old man.

She did not care.

This would always result in some kind of trouble. Whether it was with the school or the authorities. She would be in trouble and would always be at fault. Her grandmother had tried to place her in a few anger management classes, a few therapy lessons, and she also tried talking with Sakura about this herself. However none of it would ever work. Sometimes her anger would die down for a few days, but it would start right back up again. This was also the reason Sakura had grown without friends. Whenever someone was truly trying to be kind to Sakura, she would always blow them off or completely ignore them. She would say a few threatening and hurtful words and they would leave her alone. She was never one for popularity or social events. She would go to school and go straight home. She never went out anywhere, she didn't like to. She had always preferred to be alone; keeping a great distance between herself and others. The only person she ever allowed herself to get close to was her grandmother, however not close enough for her grandmother to know much about her. In fact, no one knew anything about her. They would always jump to conclusions and assume things just because of how she dresses or a rumor that was told. She would never allow anyone to get close to her. Never. She felt as though if someone did…….it would feel as if that person would be taking her mother's place. Her mother was the only person that knew everything about Sakura and she was Sakura's one and only friend. She completely understood Sakura. She would never doubt or hurt Sakura. Sakura knew that out of everyone in this entire world, her mother was the one that would love her no matter what she did. Even if it was something wrong, her mother would always love her and her mother would always care.

Sakura could never trust someone as completely as she did her mother. Not even her grandmother could replace her mother. Sakuri had tried many times to make Sakura smile, but it would never work. She also tried to take her places and spend time together on family outings with Sakura but that would never work either. It wasn't the same without her mother being there for the both of them. It just wasn't the same and nothing felt right. Sakura was never happy, she was always angry. Sakuri could never get through to Sakura about anything. Yes, Sakura would listen to her when it came down to respect, however it would only pertain to respecting only her. Sakura would never respect others. She saw no reason to. Sakura believed that Sakuri was the only one that mattered to her right now. Aside from her mother, her grandmother was important as well. However, she would never let her grandmother know this. And what she didn't know, was this was hurting Sakuri a great deal. Not knowing how her granddaughter truly felt about her, hurt her. Also making it harder for Sakuri to tell Sakura the truth.

The truth about what will happen sooner then she thought.

The only thing her grandmother ever hoped for was that her daughter, Sakura's mother, would someday return to them. Maybe then, Sakura would change.

The two stared each other down for a moment that felt like hours to them before Sakura finally sighed and gave in. "Gomen, Obaa-chan. May I have my shoes so I can put them on for school?"

Sakuri then smiled brightly as though nothing had happened before she happily handed Sakura her shoes. "Of course you can my little cherry-blossom!!"

Sakura frowned at the sudden burst of sweetness when she reached for her shoes only for her grandmother to pull them away from her again.

"What now?!" snapped Sakura impatiently as she scowled at her grandmother. Sakuri ignored her granddaughter's impatient attitude as she brightly pointed at Sakura's bare legs.

"Honey, your school uniform had stockings. Why aren't you wearing them?"

Sakura's aggravated look then turned into confusion as she looked down at her legs. Her uniform had stockings?

"SHANNARO!!"

* * *

Sakura's scowl deepened as she stepped out of her grandmother's sports car. She had spent ten minutes looking for those god-forsaken stockings and then she had to find her brief-bag; which took another ten minutes of their time. Then they had to race by the lights to drive up that ridiculously large hill to get to a school that Sakura didn't even want to attend. Her grandmother had signed her up and made her take a few tests to get into this school since she honestly couldn't pay for it. She wanted the best for Sakura and she knew her Sakura was intelligent regardless of how she acted. Her Sakura was smart. She wanted to see her granddaughter achieve in something that would make her very proud of her Sakura and a good education was on the top of her list. That was why she placed Sakura in the school for the Intellectual and Wealthy.

She and Sakura may not have been wealthy, but she knew very well that Sakura was most definitely intelligent. Again, despite Sakura's hot-tempered attitude she was extremely book smart. It didn't take very long for her to grasp different subjects. And she believed this school was the best for Sakura. She only hoped that she wouldn't get kicked out on the first day.

"Now Sakura, make sure you behave yourself and do the best you can to get along with others, okay? I don't want the principal and any of the authorities calling me and telling me that you attacked someone or cursed them all to hell or you'll be dealt with the way my mother dealt with me. And trust me; we don't want that to happen now do we? It's a very……memorable experience. And I do not wish to resort to such things. So will you please do grandma a favor and behave? You never know, you might make a very good friend if you simply be nice and smile every now and then Sakura……I think—"

"Alright already. Do you always have to long-wind yourself when you're trying to tell me something? Another thing is you always mix up what you're actually trying to say. Why can't you just put into simple terms instead of giving me a whole paragraph? I know what I must do obaa-chan!! So let me get ready for class and you go about your way! I'll be home right after school! Okay?" seethed Sakura as she watched Sakuri's bright smile turn into a frown from Sakura's tone. Sakura then gulped as she realized what she just said…or maybe how she said it. However, she never let her nervousness show as Sakuri continued to glare at Sakura.

"Fine, Sakura. Go on…and you better—"

Sakura was already walking off and into the crowd of students that was in front of the large white school before she let her grandmother finish what she had to say. Sakuri's features saddened as she watched her granddaughter's retreating back. It was obvious that what she was trying to tell Sakura didn't matter to her at all. That she was, as always, wasting her breath. She then sighed as she turned away to start her car. Waiting and listening as the engine started up.

"This is exactly why I can't tell you the truth Sakura. You never listen. Obaa-chan won't be able to stay in this world much longer." Sakuri then reached into her back pocket and took out a very small picture. She smiled gently and sadly at the same time upon staring at the smiling faces of her daughter and Sakura as a small child. Both were cuddled cheek to cheek with toothy grins upon their faces. '_Sakura was very happy then. If only my Minako hadn't left. We would be so much happier together and maybe I'd know more about Sakura then I do now. Maybe she would love me more than she did now. Maybe Sakura would have some friends. Or perhaps a smiling face.'_

Sakuri then sighed as she turned to watch Sakura's retreating back. '_Maybe I would have been able to stay a little longer……'_

"_My time is running out."_

As soon as the words were spoken, Sakura came to halt and quickly turned back to look and see if her grandmother was still in her car and parked by the curb. However, nothing was there. Sakura could have sworn she heard Sakuri's voice whispering in her ear, but she thought nothing of it as she turned back, shrugged it off and continued into the building. As she continued into the hallway, she naturally got the attention of a good amount of students within the halls. A whisper from this corner and a whisper from that corner, it seems nothing will ever change no matter what school she attended. The students were always the same no matter how...._'intellectual and wealthy'_ they were. She then decided to ignore them as usual and find where her locker was located. She pulled her brief-bag to her front and dug inside of the front pockets. She then pulled out a small paper and looked at it.

'_608'_

She looked up and passed a few students who were giggling at her but she ignored them and continued her way down the hall. She looked at each locker and frowned. '_I must be on the wrong floor or something because these all say one-hundred. I need six-hundred, da--'_

Her thoughts were interrupted when she suddenly felt something hard against her shoe, completely losing her balance as she fell face first onto the hard floor. Her small paper flew out of her hand and the front pockets of her brief-bag emptied with several pens, pencils, and small notepads flying across the floor. A barrage of giggles could be heard throughout the halls as Sakura moved to lift herself up, cursing her clumsiness.

"Oops, I'm sorry..hehe..I didn't know you wer-haha-there. Hahaha!" said a girl through a fit of giggles.

"Yeah…hehe…she didn't know you were there." said another girl while laughing.

Sakura sighed as she realized that it wasn't her clumsiness that made her fall. Someone had decided to trip her. She would have been angry if she wasn't accustomed to this kind of treatment and she was. So she decided to quickly pick up her pencils and pens as she placed them back into the front pockets of her bag as she snapped them shut to keep them there. She then looked ahead to see a couple of her notepads, she moved to reach for them only for a black shoe to land on one of them. A shoe that matched her own.

"I hope you can forgive me. I really didn't mean to, I was only tripping the trash!" the girl then laughed sickeningly as the other followed suit before she kicked Sakura's notepad across the hall before walking away still laughing.

"She's so pathetic! I saw her being picked at before when we were younger! I was at a public school then in another town."

"Yeah! I think I've seen her on a corner somewhere downtown a couple of weeks ago. She must have been waiting for a _customer._..hahaha. Why do you think she's here? She couldn't have possibly gotten herself into this school without _giving _something."

"I know, she's such a--"

The two girl's voices faded down the hall as they walked further and further away from Sakura. Everyone else seemed to ignore her as she picked up the closest notepad before picking herself up and brushing herself off. She could feel her blood boil as she placed her notepad into one of the front pockets before she looked around for the other one.

"I am seriously growing tired of this damn routine whenever I go to school. I swear I wished she said something to my face instead of walking off like some coward then I would I have knocked her red-haired four-eyed ass into next week. But I don't have the time for ugly people; I have better things to do!!! Shannaro, Where is that notepad?!!" seethed Sakura as she continued to look for her notepad while the hall suddenly became a bit more crowded.

"Hey, is this yours?" came a voice from beside her. Sakura quickly turned to her left fuming as she growled.

"Nani?!!"

The person slightly flinched before reaching to hand Sakura her other notepad. "I was asking if this belonged to you. I saw that you dropped them when those two girls--"

Sakura quickly snatched the notepad out of the person's hand before continuing her way to her locker without so much as a thank you as she continued to ramble on and on to herself.

"If the dumb ass saw that I dropped them then why in the hell would he ask if they were mine, of course their mine! That's a big--DUH!! UGH people can be so stupid! I wish…" Sakura continued to talk to herself as she walked further down hall and into the crowd of students. The male continued to stare at her retreating back before she disappeared into the crowd. He blushed deeply as he remembered their hands brushing against each other when she snatched her object away from him. He was quite familiar with her acting that way toward him so it had never bothered him when she was rude. He knew of her ever since they were children but she never paid him any attention. He didn't exactly mind since he simply liked to look at her. However, he wondered if she even knew who he was. He was always around her as they grew up. He was glad his family decided to move around the same time she did. They were in the same neighborhood. He was even happier to know that she moved into the same city they had. However he didn't expect to find her in the same school as himself. He must have been very lucky for this to happen. Especially since he liked her a great deal; he would watch her every chance he could get. Did she even notice? Nah, then she probably would have said something about it by now if she did. If she ever does, he only hoped he didn't embarrass himself by telling her how he felt.

"Hey, come on! It's time to get to class, man!! Let's go!!"

The male shook off his thoughts before turning toward his friend. He grinned brightly as he nodded before running off.

* * *

"Finally, the damn locker!! It felt as though it took me forever getting here! Why in the hell didn't they put me on the first floor! It would have made more sense than to put me on the middle floor!!" grumbled Sakura as she quickly did her locker combination and opened her locker; proceeding to place the books she didn't need from her bag and onto the top shelf.

"This better be over with quickly before my anger get's the best of me I swear! I can't stand to be bothered. I can't stand it when people pick at me! And I'm tired of random people watching what happens to me but does nothing to help me until AFTER the fact! Why can't everyone pretend I am not there?!"

At that very moment a loud slam hit against her locker as it shook before a loud thud could be heard. Since Sakura was holding her locker door, she steadily kept it from hitting into herself. In which it would have if she hadn't been holding it.

'_What the hell! Don't people know where they're going anymore?!'_ thought Sakura as she looked passed her locker to see a small midnight-blue haired girl on the floor. She then frowned at her fragileness. '_Weak girl.'_

"Watch where the hell you're going!" spat Sakura roughly before slamming her locker door shut and walking off down the hall to her class. She didn't care if the girl decided to walk right into her locker. She didn't have to apologize for her faults. She should have been looking where she was going. Nevertheless, she couldn't help but feel slightly odd upon looking at her. She sort of felt as though she knew her in some way but it wasn't quite right since she very well knew that they've never met. Another thing is the fact that she didn't get a good look at her so she truly wouldn't know if they've crossed each other's paths before or not. It was the feeling she got from her. It was…weird. It felt….different.

Sakura then shook her head as she tried to push the frail girl out of her thoughts. To Sakura, she was just another nobody and she didn't know why she was still thinking of her. The girl didn't matter. And that was that.

She then decided to take out her schedule from her bag to completely remove the girl from her mind and concentrate on getting to her first class. She then flipped the paper open and read it over.

_'Chemistry. Damn it, I hate chemistry.'_

A moment later she walked into her classroom and looked around the room to see where she should take a seat. She was slightly surprised to see that she was the first one to make it into class, especially since it felt as though it took a good hour to get where she needed to be. She had thought school started thirty minutes ago but since it was the first day, the students were probably given extra time to get to their classes. Or perhaps, she was early.

She then took a seat in the far back to keep herself away from the other students. She figured that they would crowd in the front anyway and she wanted to be away from everyone. She was kind of glad that the table only sat two people because that way she would have a chair to herself and a chair to her bag. Meaning no one would sit next to her unless they were told to by the teacher. Even then she may pick a fight about it. She truly didn't want anyone sitting next to her. She didn't like the feeling of someone unnecessarily too close to her body. Especially if it was a male. So she decided that throughout this entire term and all of her classes that she would work alone. It was always better for her to do so anyway. Work was done faster that way. She could care less about partnership and teamwork. Working independently was always better.

She then sighed to calm herself since she was still upset about earlier before she laid her head upon the desk; staring at the wall beside her. She didn't know why her grandmother made a big deal about her being in advanced classes; she saw no reason to be even if she was book smart. She was in the eighth year. She believed she should be placed with the eighth year students instead of all the ninth year students. That could be why her locker was placed on the upper floor. Because she was advanced. Usually the advanced students were all placed together in all of their classes. They were all on the same level. So she already knew that she wasn't the only eighth year student in this class.

"Ah, you must be our new student. I was informed that you would be arriving a bit sooner than the other students of this year. I hope you will enjoy my class for the term."

Startled, Sakura's head shot up at the voice that was suddenly beside her and looked up at a man with wide eyes. Where the hell did he come from? She didn't hear him coming nor did she notice that someone stepped into the room. Let alone standing beside her. He was quite tall for a young man. At least she assumed he was young since he most definitely looked that way. His short brown hair was neatly trimmed and cut with bangs slightly above his bright colored dark green eyes. He wore a black suit with a nice gray tie. He was obviously very attractive however Sakura looked him over with little to no interest; still in shock.

"Gomen-nasai. I hadn't meant to startle you. I wanted to introduce myself to you before the other students began to file in. I simply wanted to welcome you." Stated the teacher to Sakura as her alarmed expression quickly changed into a scowl. She didn't need to be welcomed. She only wanted to get this class over with so she could move on to the next and the next until finally she was able to head home. That's all she wanted to do. And why was he standing so close? She was sure she would have been able to hear him from across the room, he didn't have to stand next her. It was beginning to irritate her all to hell until an echoing voice of her grandmother boomed throughout her mind; reminding her of her manners toward the 'Senseis'.

'_Be nice Sakura and try your best to smile. I am most positive that since it is your first day, many teachers will try to welcome you. So please don't be mean when they are trying to be nice, understand? I don't want you out on the first day. I will truly be upset if you are. Please be good Sakura.'_

The voice faded and Sakura sighed as she did the best she could to turn her scowl up but it only resulted in her placing a very impassive look upon her features. She found it really tough to smile so she wasn't going to try anymore. A quick thank you would probably get rid of him. So she tried it.

"Arigatou, Sensei…" dulled Sakura as she waited for him to leave. The teacher then smiled brightly upon her thanks and against Sakura's dismay, he didn't move like she hoped.

"You are very welcome. I do hope you will learn much from me. We'll be doing very interesting things this year. I hope you'll enjoy them. Especially when we begin chemical reactions of substances with one another and energy. I believe it would be very exciting to all who have never experienced such a science. It's much better then environmental science. I honestly hope you enjoy yourself. I'll do everything I can to satisfy the needs of both my students and myself this year. After all, learning is supposed to be fun. I'd hate to have a very boring class." Said the teacher as Sakura tried her best to not tell the man how much she truly didn't care. She only wanted him to leave her alone. She couldn't stand when people would try and talk to her while she wasn't listening. The only thing she heard was the first sentence. After that, he was blocked out. And when he stopped talking. She realized that she was supposed to respond since he was still there. So, she did.

"Uh, yeah." Replied Sakura unsure of what to say; waiting for him to step away from her. As if sensing this, the teacher stepped back from her desk, still smiling brightly.

"Anyway, before I get carried away with conversation, I have something that I must do before class begins. And again, I hope you enjoy your school year." With that the teacher politely bowed before her and walked away until he was out of the room. Sakura sighed with relief. That man was oddly polite for a teacher. Most teachers wouldn't respect their students like he did, and the ones she came across never really cared about the student's enjoyment within their class room. He seemed more enthusiastic about his class then anything.

'_Yeah, right. Within a week he'll crack. Just like all the others.'_

Sakura watched and waited as students began to quickly file into the room. She took notice at how a few people looked at her and purposely sat away from her for reasons she could care less about. Then she noticed a midnight-blue haired girl quickly walk in as though she was trying to get away from someone before she took a seat by the window. Sakura looked the girl over as she proceeded to dig within her bag before taking out a pen and paper. Sakura watched her closely as the same odd feeling from earlier over came her again.

_'That must be the same girl from earlier judging from her hair and this.....feeling. It feels like I know her but...' _Sakura then squinted her eyes to take a better look at her._ 'But she doesn't look like anyone I've ever met.....especially since I don't--'_

Her thoughts were interrupted when the bell sounded as the students quickly took their seats before the teacher walked in and stood in front of the class. He waited a moment until he was sure he had everyone's full attention before he began to introduce himself. Sakura quickly forgot about the girl across the room and focused half of her attention to the rest of the class and the other half to listening to her teacher. She scanned the room carefully as she took in everyone in it. They were all sitting quietly as they patiently listened to the teacher. She couldn't exactly read anyone's expression since they were all facing forward and she mostly saw the back's of people's heads and a profile from the other students on her left. She took note that she was the only one in her class with a popping hair color of course. As well as being the only one that wasn't truly paying attention to the teacher that was annoying her earlier. She could be wrong but as far she believed, she was the only one. She was never one for listening as her grandmother frequently pointed out. She only listened when she felt like it. She never saw a reason in listening to anyone whether she was going to miss something important or not. She always saw it as a waste of time. The teacher had proven that to her earlier.

"Before we get started and I explain exactly what's to be expected this term, I would like to introduce to you a new student who just moved here from a distant area of Japan. Please rise and introduce yourself to the class."

Sakura stopped as all eyes landed on her; watching and waiting for her to introduce herself to the class as the teacher requested. Sakura was slightly surprised since he never mentioned that he would do this to her. If he knew who she was then why should everyone else know who she was? He was the only one that was important. So why should she have to waste a few minutes of their class time? She didn't want to introduce herself. She wanted to get through the class unnoticed by all. She knew she couldn't hide from the teacher but it would have been easier for her if she had gone unnoticed and forgotten throughout the entire class so she could peacefully leave and head for the rest of her classes in peace as well. She had received enough attention as it is in the halls. She didn't need it in class too.

Sakura then frowned before sighing heavily as she stood from her seat, all eyes following, and proceeded to walk to the front of the class. She then stopped and stood next to the teacher before turning toward the class. Aggravated, she then placed her hands on her hips and impatiently tapped her foot.

"My name is Sakura Haruno. A pleasure." scowled Sakura; seriously feeling as though she was wasting her time. And as usual, after people hear her full name, the room erupted into a barrage of whispers. Sakura then sighed deeply at everything she could hear a few students saying about the petty rumors that were constantly spread about her. She didn't know why the rumors started in such way. However, she could take a wild guess and blame her grandmother for the way she acts and how she dresses every time they go somewhere. Also for the fact that her grandmother shops for Sakura, so whatever her grandmother saw that was... 'cute' she would buy for Sakura to wear. And yes, they most definitely looked identical to the clothing of Sakuri. She would deny her clothing. Yes she would. However, if it's the only thing she has to wear, then she just has to wear it. She was only twelve-years old. It wasn't like she was able to buy her own things right now; she knew she had to deal.

"And her hair, my goodness is it for Halloween?"

"She's probably late this year."

"Or perhaps she's too early."

Sakura's eyebrow twitched as her scowl deepened after catching those last few comments. Her hair was not for Halloween. How dare they. It was completely natural. Just because it was extremely odd doesn't mean it wasn't natural. She couldn't stand when students would pick at her to prove it. As far as she was concerned it was none of their business.

_'Tramps.' _thought Sakura as shifted her position and crossed her arms in front her. She was even more aggravated then she was before. She wanted to sit down so this crap could end and she could go back to her seat and concentrate on going unnoticed for the rest of the class.

"Haruno-san? Are you going to tell the class where you are from and why you came here?" asked the teacher before Sakura sent him a glare.

"No."

"Now, please Haruno-san. It would be a pleasure to….."

"I said no." snapped Sakura interrupting the teacher sternly before she quickly walked back to her seat. The students continued with their gossip about her as Sakura sat down at her table before trying to tune everyone out of her mind. Sadness quickly washed over her as she tried her best to keep the hurtful wordings from reaching her ears. Naturally, she began to bite her thumbnail in the process. She was truly growing tired of this. She wished everyone would just leave her alone. She was tired of getting picked at for petty reasons. Why can't they pick at someone else? Why does it always has t be her? No matter where she went she was being picked at for some kind of reason. Whether it was about her hair, her clothes, her shoes, her brief bag, her forehead, her eyes, the way she walked, talked, acted; her very presence would start some kind of rumor. She was tired of this. Why couldn't everyone leave her alone?

Would that be so difficult?

Sakura then stopped after feeling something strange boring into her. She then looked up and turned her head into the direction to where the feeling was coming from. Only to lock eyes with pupil less orbs that was unnaturally pale.

_'That girl.'_ thought Sakura before frowning deeply when that strange feeling she would suddenly get by simply looking at the girl became stronger upon her staring back at her. Sakura then flipped up her middle finger at her before turning away completely to stare at the front of the class; the strange feeling disappearing altogether. Just as she hoped it would.

_'Whatever this feeling I keep getting is, it only goes away when I'm not looking at her for some reason. I don't understand what it could be but I don't care what it is. I'll just have to stop looking at her or something. She's not that important all because of some stupid feeling. I'll forget about her later anyway. As soon as I get done with this damn class that is.'_

"Now that that's over, I have another thing that I would like to get through before we officially start."

Everyone watched and waited silently, Sakura completely forgotten, as the teacher reached for a chart that was on his desk.

"I'm sorry to inform you, but there will be assigned seats this year."

Everyone silently groaned.

"Also, there are a few empty seats; I've decided that instead of two students a table, there will be four students a table for the entire term."

This time everyone openly groaned. Sakura joining in on this as well.

_'What?!?! Assigned seats __**AND**__ four students a table?! SHANNARO!!'_

After a few moments of rearranging the room and students. The tables were now together with two of each, making a bigger table. Four students sat together, each facing each other.

Sakura was very unhappy with this arrangement. She was better off sitting alone; she didn't want to be in a group all term. That would be a waste of her time. She preferred to work alone. It was not only easier, but things got done on time when working alone instead of having to count on a partner or something. In which if there was a lack of teamwork; it would result in failure for the both of them if it was only the fault of one person. She didn't want things that way. It was partially why she sat alone to avoid this. However, maybe they were only sitting together and they didn't have to work together. She would be grateful for at least that.

She then glanced at the male next to her and frowned at how pathetic he looked. He simply sat with his body slouched within the seat and with an unreadable expression upon his face as he stared at nothing. He was facing forward but his head was looking downward as though the edge of the table was the most fascinating thing in the world to stare at. She looked over the side profile of his features before looking up at the style of his hair.

_'Ew...that blond color is the ugliest blond color I've ever see in my life. It's too bright and doesn't seem to fit with his slightly tanned skin. And what's with all the spikes? Does he comb his hair? Ugh, this is another reason why I always sit alone. I'll be too busy being disgusted by the person next to me instead of paying attention to my work. This is probably the first time where I was forced to be a part of a group for the entire term. If it wasn't for my grandmother, I would complain about this. But noooo, Sakura has to be a good girl and get along with every freakin' body. Just great!' _thought Sakura before turning her head to look at the person across from the boy next to her. He was staring at the front of the class with his elbow resting on the surface of the table and his chin resting in the palm of his hand. His face was a perfect example at how bored a person could possibly ever look. However to Sakura, he looked constipated from where she was sitting. _'He looks as though he hadn't had a decent crap in his entire life. He should probably start taking those laxatives. It might help.'_

Internally Sakura smirked at her own stupid joke that was thought of to lighten her mood. She knew he didn't look that way. She thought of it to reduce her being upset about the entire situation. Her therapist from the other city had once told her that it would be easier to crack a couple of jokes about certain situations to calm down her anger. A first she thought that was crap since she would be angry she thought that it would never work. However giving it a shot now, in a way, it worked wonders.

'_Yeah, like I'll be cracking jokes all day.'_ Thought Sakura sarcastically before moving her attention away from him and on to the person that was seated across from her. And as soon as she did, she would immediately regret it.

The same feeling she felt earlier from looking at the small girl returned full force; stronger then it was before. Sakura guessed that it was due to the fact that she was closer to her but she still didn't understand why it was there. She didn't understand why she would feel strange upon looking at someone. And only when it came down to her a girl she had never seen before. She didn't even know her name. So why did she feel this way? This unknown feeling was strong. Why was it there?

Sakura did the best she could to ignore this feeling that suddenly became stronger the longer she looked the girl over that was across from her. The girl was staring at the boy next to her. Looking at him the same way the blond was looking at the edge of the table; a fascination that was out of this world. She was then disgusted by the way she was looking at him. She was staring at him a bit too hard for her taste. She was acting as though it was the first time she has ever seen a male. He didn't look that special, so why was she acting like it.

"Ugh, stop staring at him. He is a boy. Quit acting like you've never seen one before." Sakura scoffed as the girl quickly turned her head away from the male next to her; obviously embarrassed.

"G-g-gomen-nasai…Please excuse my behavior I didn't mean to stare." Murmured the girl with her head bent low as she poked her fingers together with a blush across her cheeks.

"It's fine." The girl's head then shot up before looking at the male next to her in shock. Sakura then rolled her eyes when the girl responded with a yes and nod before everyone turned their attention toward the teacher.

"Alright class, now that we have everything in order, I will be passing out a packet containing everything that you will be learning this term. As well as a two-page quiz regarding everything you already know about Chemistry. If you know nothing, then simply leave it blank." Said the teacher as he walked about the classroom, passing around four packets a table; Sakura has yet to catch his name.

"Although, that would be a shame because I'll begin to wonder how you made into my class in the first place." The teacher added jokingly. A few students chuckled as some looked around expectantly.

"Hmm, I wondered that too."

The voice was low and feminine but was clearly heard throughout the class as few heads turned their gazes toward the table where Sakura and the others sat, obviously looking at her in particular. She then sighed sadly as she tried to avoid the gazes that was suddenly upon her as she stared at her lap; longing to disappear into thin air. If only she could. She then felt the same odd feeling from before when she would look at the unknown girl across from her. She concluded that she must have been looking at her like the rest of the class since that was the only time the odd feeling would wash over her. If Sakura was looking at her or the girl was looking at Sakura.

"Now, now class. Do not be ignorant. I am most positive that all of you worked your way to get here. I wasn't implying anything." Said the teacher as he came to a stop by the table Sakura and the others were seated. From the corner of her eye, Sakura watched as the teacher placed their packets in the middle of the table while staring at the boy that was seated next to the girl across from her. She hadn't caught exactly what the teacher was saying since she guessed it was for his ears only. All she could hear was mumbling as she turned her attention back to her lap.

Suddenly…..

The room grew dark and everything around Sakura fell silent. _'What the hell?'_ thought Sakura as she slowly looked up only for her body to abruptly freeze on the spot after something suddenly forced itself upon her as her body then stiffened even more. Her breathing quickened as her heart raced. What the hell was going on and why was this suddenly happening?

She then looked up more at the girl across from her only to see that she too seemed to be frozen in place as her eyes were wide with fear. She seemed to be looking at something, or rather someone that Sakura could not turn to see because something was keeping her from doing so. All she could do was, involuntarily, sit and stare at the girl across from her. Immediately as she did, a surge of energy soared throughout her stiff body; causing a different feeling to form within her chest. A feeling that seemed oddly warm and……..nice?

'_Don't worry Sakura. You'll be fine.'_

Sakura silently gasped at the familiar voice that un-expectantly entered her mind. _'Was that…..'_

"Hyuuga Hinata. I am most pleased to see you finally here. I knew your mother couldn't keep you hidden from us for long. The shield she had up has long since dispersed from her lack of power. I've been watching you for quite some time now, waiting for the perfect moment to have you all to myself. You have something we want……and later……" Sakura could then hear a strange voice from the left side of her however she still couldn't turn her head to see who it was. Only for a hand to appear in front of the girl she now knew as Hinata as it then cupped her chin. Sakura still couldn't see who it was.

"I'll finally have what rightfully belongs to me....guardian."

'_Guardian?'_

As soon as the words were spoken, everything around her suddenly returned to normal as the pressure upon Sakura released itself as she quietly sighed to herself. Her heart rate and breathing lowered to normal before staring in disbelief at the girl across from her who was coughing deeply as though she had a difficult time breathing. What was she? Who was she talking to? And why did all of this happen? Sakura knew from the start that there had to have been something strange about her from the odd feeling she would get upon looking at her. Now, that odd feeling was gone after the event that had recently happened. And again, she didn't know why. Also…..

'_That voice…was that….'_

She didn't quite catch anything that was being said between Hinata and the boy next to her. She didn't hear anything at all. She simply stared in both surprise and fear at Hinata. Afraid of all this was about. And surprise that it happened in the first place. She wanted to know but at the same time she was afraid of what it could mean. She saw the crap that would happen on those stupid television shows. She didn't want to be a part of something unnatural. She simply wanted to live out her life as pathetic as it was. She'd still live it. She couldn't wait to leave this class and go about her day like she originally planned.

The only thing she hoped for……..was that that rest of her day would continue normally.

However she got the feeling…..that she was hoping for too much.

* * *

**A/N- Hehe...I stopped here since I didn't want it to be too long, I think this chapter has more words than the first chapter. I think. It did seem longer. At least for me it did. And I know that Sakura probably isn't very likable or in her original character right now, I know. As I stated it will develop. I like development. It's fun. XD Also, I'm sorry if some readers are confused behind the reasons for Sakura's attitude and everything else she feels. It will be explained much better later, I kept it short for a reason. I didn't want to give it all away. I have so many juicy ideas, my goodness I'm having fun!!! ;P . On another note, I will have updates on my profile everyday to indicate my progression on this story as well as any other current projects. So far, I'm only keeping this one in mind. I think it's easier when you have one story to concentrate on at a time instead of SEVERAL different stories where people will be expecting an update from sometime soon. I also think it would be a bit stressful. I don't know. I just don't think I'll be doing another story until this is over. I already have chapter 3 in progression; I will not place up a chapter unless I already have the next chapter at least half or so done. I find that to be easier as well. I've already summarized what's to take place in the next five chapters or so. I will always add on to things. I've thoroughly planned out the storyline so far, I want to see where my brain will take it when I'm finished with my basic ideas. Anyway. I meant to keep this short, however I thought readers would like to know what the author is up to since a lot of writers don't state so. Well, not like they have to but I'm just saying. XD .**

**Next Chapter: Dangerous Pursuit**

**Thanks for reading and review if you can/like. It helps me out a lot and it's much appreciated. Thank you. XD**


	3. A Dangerous Pursuit

_**A/N- Thanks for the reviews!!! . I appreciate it very much!! Now this chapter will only be a thousand words longer then the others because of some action, I'm not sure if I'm any good with action but I described it as best I could. I probably detailed it a bit….much.. ^^; But I hope you enjoy it and review if you can; it helps me a lot to know everyone's opinion. Aside from that, it's fun to read. Lol Especially you **__Lily__**…you silly girl. Lol Anyway….enjoy!!!! **_

_**Edit: Damn manager uploader wouldn't work for me for some reason. I was so upset. ( I had this finished a couple of weeks ago. ( I ended up having to report the problem to the admins and it took them FOREVER to respond. ( But at least I got to review my chapter over and fix a few things. I even added a few things….YOSH!!**_

_**PS: ShikaHina!!!!!!!!! XD**_

* * *

_**Chapter 3: A Dangerous Pursuit**_

* * *

Water splashed against her soft heated cheeks as she tried her best to forget today's event from constantly plaguing her mind like it has been for over five hours already in the day. She had a very difficult time concentrating on every assignment given to her from her previous classes. She couldn't even pay attention to anything anyone has said to her. She would either misunderstand or completely ignore it all together; however, not on purpose. She then lifted up her head and looked herself over in the mirror; staring and searching for an answer as if it was there within herself. Water began to drip along her cheeks and into the sink, her breathing was slow and shallow as she continued to stare at her features.

'_He said I had something that he wanted……….but ..what? What is it that I could possibly have? What is it that he wants? My money? My family's business? What? Furthermore, why did he speak of my mother? She is gone, and has been gone since I can remember.'_

She then moved to turn off the running water before moving to the wall behind her to reach for a paper towel_. _She ripped it from the machine as she gently dried her hands before reaching up to pat on her cheeks.

'_Also……he referred to me as a guardian. Of what or who am I the guardian of? I still don't understand what all of this could mean. What could I possibly—'_

"Hyuuga-san!!! Class is about to start. Let's get going!!"

Hinata's thoughts completely stopped as she turned her head toward the door. _'I guess I'll have to wait and see what happens. I've been bothered by this for too long. Even if only a few hours. It's still very unlike me to have a difficult time trying to concentrate on my work. I must try harder to do so and let this pass until the event rises again. Hopefully, it all simply wasn't real. However, I sadly find that hard to believe no matter how much I wish it were true.' _

Hinata then sighed deeply before throwing away the damp paper towel in her hand as she proceeded to leave the girl's bathroom. She walked through the girl's locker room hall before pushing open the silver double doors that lead to the gym. As soon as the doors were open, all of the girls could be seen scattered about in front of her, already dressed in their gym uniforms. It consisted of short-spandex that matched the color of their regular skirts; their white tee shirts were loose however fitting and their sneakers were navy-colored with white ties. The only thing Hinata always had a problem with, was the spandex. She never liked tight things, though she would admit that they worked well to move around in during active play.

All of the girls were waiting for the instructors to begin their class as usual. She then slowly stepped through the crowd of chattering girls so she could reach the front and look about the wide open gym. She stopped as she scanned the place, noticing how all the males were on the opposite end of the large room; they too were chatting as they waited for the instructor. Their gym uniform was as simple as the females, same color shorts, however loose; same color tees but a bit longer, and the sneakers were exactly right. Most of them were scattered in front of the double doors that lead to their locker room. Others were scattered about along the wall either distancing themselves from the others, play fighting, wrestling, or simply relaxing by themselves. She hadn't noticed a lot of their behavior until she began to scan the boy's entire area across from her. They, as of right now, were making the girls look like angels. The girls were only chatting about gossip and what not where as the boys; a few of them anyway, were acting completely out of the schools policy. Mischief. They were supposed to wait quietly for their senseis or perhaps chat a bit like some were doing. However play fighting and wrestling……was something that was completely not tolerated.

For a school made for the higher classed society they sure did act like any other school there was out there. She guessed no matter where you go or what level you're on. Kids will always act like kids. Or in their case, preteens and teenagers. It's only natural regardless of how smart you are. Kids were born with a carefree nature. They should have the right to act like it every once in a while. They shouldn't be so serious all of the time. If only she….

She then shook her head, no. Her father would never tolerate her if she were to ever think of such things. She had to stay serious and grow up in the correct manner she was raised. Fun, was something that was completely nonexistent in her family. Fun, her father explained to her, was for the stupid. She was too smart. So therefore if she were to have fun she would be lowering her I.Q and it would make her stupid. Right? That's what her father told her, not in so many words of course. However, she thought that it was what he was getting at. Although, she shouldn't assume; she decided to cross fun out of her list completely. He had told her that it was okay to be interested; it was okay to be fond of something. However it wasn't okay to have fun. All in all; no fun for her.

She sighed again wondering what she should do to pass the time before class started as she looked over the room once more. Her eyes then landed on a certain male whom she's been acquainted to for sometime throughout the day. He was sitting away from the others, leaning his back lazily against the wall with his knees propped up and his elbows resting on them. His head was sluggishly being supported by his arms to a point where Hinata couldn't tell whether or not he was sleeping or simply resting his head there. She was curious as to why he was sitting alone since normally when she would see him over the years; he would always be with a chubbier male whom she assumed was a good friend of his since they were normally not seen without each other.

However this year, she has yet to see him with his friend. She would see the two together within the halls or during lunch; they would also be seen together within class because they always sat next to each other and they were always paired together during team assignments. So far, there has been no sight of his daily companion. In fact, now that she thought about it, he has been paired with her all day. In which she found to be quite strange because after all of these years, she was unexpectedly being paired with him in almost every class so far. This time, is the first time that they've ever interacted with each other after all the days they've spent together in the same classes. And yet, she knows little about him other the things she was told and the things she paid some attention to.

She didn't know why the teachers suddenly found an interest in the two being paired off together this year, but Hinata was slowly beginning to think there was a good reason behind it, or perhaps this year the teachers decided to place together whom they believed worked well together. She couldn't lie that they sort of did. She wasn't completely sure since they weren't given serious assignments as of yet, just a few copying of notes and reading a few things over was all so far. Maybe within Gym class, their senseis would place them on the same team during their volley ball session. Only then, could she truly interpret whether they worked well together or not. She did find herself to be a bit comfortable around him for some unidentified reason. Perhaps it was because he was no Sasuke and he was no Naruto. That alone made it better within itself to be near him. He was…….refreshing so to speak. He was……different. She's only known this male for a short period of time and already she felt something increasingly unfamiliar with……..

She shook her head again. She had to stop letting her mind wonder like it has. It's been all over the place for the past few hours since earlier today, and she was finding it very difficult to think normally like she usually would. Normal for her, was NOT thinking of males she never really knew, NOT standing randomly in the open and away from everyone else looking as though she was lost, and NOT hoping this year would be different for her. Normal for her, was putting up with Naruto and Sasuke, waiting patiently for her class to start without thinking of other things, and listening and obeying the teacher until the next class before heading straight to her after school projects and going home. Normal for her was following the schedule her father had placed for her. That was her normal, and that was her life.

She had to follow it.

'_That's right. I must follow my daily schedule and act as I was directed to behave.'_ Thought Hinata solidly; not even realizing that her body had obviously disagreed with her mind for she was suddenly standing right in front of the male that has been around her for most of the day.

Feeling a presence in front of him, Shikamaru slowly looked up and Hinata suddenly gulped as her eyes met his. She felt her cheeks burn again as it did so very often throughout the day when she was near him. In which, she found to be very peculiar because it only happened around him. No one else…...just….him. She was not accustomed to such a thing and it still surprised her when it happened. Her father broke her out of this. Why was it still happening?

She suddenly felt her body move on its own again and before she knew it, she was shyly pointing her fingers together, breaking eye contact with him as they landed on her sneakers instead; Immediately taking an interest in the plain look of the string ties. She didn't know what to say to him. Even though a 'Hi' would have been nice, however she found it to be very hard to speak to him for some mysterious reason without an assignment or some kind of school work. In the classes before this one, she had no problem talking to him about the work or anything pertaining to it.

But when it came down to starting a simple conversation that had nothing to do with class, she found it to be very difficult for her. She felt the need to walk away and apologize for rudely interrupting his time to himself. But she couldn't bring herself to do it. It was one thing to rudely walk up on someone. It was another to rudely run away and not say anything after interrupting them.

So she stayed put. Perhaps if she'd….

"Would you like to sit down?"

Thank kami, he spoke for her. She honestly didn't know what she was going to do. She couldn't just make something up for suddenly walking up on him like she did. And she wasn't familiar with being dishonest. Also, telling him she didn't know why she was standing there didn't exactly seem like the best idea. So for him to speak for her was the best thing that seem to happen to her all day.

She then turned her attention upward to read his expression before doing so. When she did, their eyes met again. She quickly searched them to see if he honestly didn't mind her sitting next to him. She could see the truth within his brown-orbs before she carefully searched the rest of his features. The corner of his lips curved up into the same lazy smirk from earlier. His eyebrows were relaxed this time compared to their previous class where he kept them knitted because he didn't feel like staying up for the lecture. Their previous sensei heard rumors about him as well and made sure he didn't fall asleep in his class either. And every time he saw his eyes begin to droop, the art teacher smacked him in the head with a rolled paper. Hinata flinched at that since she wasn't accustomed to resulting in such actions. Nevertheless, she did take into accord that it seemed to have worked because throughout the rest of their class, Shikamaru paid close attention; however it only resulted in him being agitated for most of the class period.

Hinata hoped he wasn't still agitated; it was the reason why she was looking over his features for approval.

"Don't worry. We've spent most of the day together. I think you should already know by now that I won't bite." Stated Shikamaru slowly. Even his voice sounded as lazy as his body seemed to carry itself all day; she was beginning to wonder if his entire exterior was always so…how should she put it?

…Slothful?

Hinata then quickly nodded and smiled at him before sitting down on the floor next to him. She sat with her knees propped up as well, only she held them closer to her body before resting her chin on top of them as her fingers went to tug softly on her shoe ties. Her eyes roamed to the other side where the girls were all scattered now against the other wall.

She may have been looking at them but her mind was concentrating on the boy next to her. She wanted to start a conversation however she wasn't quite sure of what to say now that he welcomed her by his side. This was all still new to her since she would usually be the one listening. Starting conversations wasn't really her forte. She was very used to receiving a subject and talking about it. She was never the one to start unless necessary or if it had anything to do with work. Wait, work…maybe they'll talk about work. Yeah, work. She thought that was one way to start. Maybe he would agree.

And as soon as she was about to say something, to her surprise, he beat her to it.

"It's nice to see you relax."

'_Nani?'_

Hinata's head shot up and looked at him. Exactly what did he mean by that? Did she seemed stressed or something? It was only the first day; did she look as though she was tensed about something? Truly, did she? She couldn't necessarily deny that something wasn't bothering her earlier. Something she believed she shouldn't share. Although, she didn't think she showed her troubled mind. She was taught to stay in control of your emotions. Displaying them only meant that her emotions were controlling her. Not her controlling them. Did she fail in what her father as taught her on that level as well?

She was about to ask for him to further explain himself; only for him to answer her without request. As if receiving a good sense on what she was thinking.

"Normally, you would straighten yourself up; stiffen your back before you carefully fold your hands in your lap." He sighed before he continued. "I often wondered if that was uncomfortable. Is it?"

Hinata watched as he turned to look at her. She moved to open her mouth to reply to his question. However she didn't know what to say. Was he asking if she was comfortable with straightening her posture? Or was he asking if she was stressed every time she did? Maybe he was asking if she was relaxed in the position she was in now, then she would be if she were to straighten her posture. Was that his question?

She continued to look at him, processing what he was really trying to ask. He continued to look at her, patiently waiting for her answer.

"A-ano….I am unsure of what you may be asking. If it's not too much trouble, may you please be more direct. I will answer you accordingly until then." Replied Hinata with as much thought as she could muster. Having a normal conversation was harder for her then she originally thought. This was easy with Hanabi and Neji, probably because their way of thinking was very similar to hers. Naruto and Sasuke though….no she had better luck with someone she didn't know.

Shikamaru blinked at her before turning to look up at the ceiling filled with bright lights. In his mind, he thought the question he was asking was quite obvious. In her mind, she processed more than one question. How? Where did he go wrong with…..oh wait…..

"Forget about the first thing I said to you. I was asking if it was comfortable straightening your back the way you do when you sit in a chair. Is it?" He asked the question again, only this time he didn't look at her. He kept his eyes lazily staring at the ceiling. He didn't feel like turning his head again. He could feel his energy lower when he did it the first time. He didn't feel like doing it again.

Hinata then completely understood what he was saying as soon as he told her to forget the first thing he said. It was exactly what threw her off a bit. He said it was nice to see her relax. And when he continued, she wasn't sure if the comment had anything to do with the question or not. So she became lost. In addition to the fact that no one has ever told her how nice it was to see her relax. That within itself through her completely off; and now that she thought about it…..her posture was in fact, incorrect. She hadn't realized how she sat until he pointed it out. Her father always told her that it was very rude not to straighten yourself up with the presence of someone important. Hinata had always thought that meant everyone. Shikamaru may have been asking a question, but then again, he was also pointing out her wrong use in posture towards him. She was supposed to straighten herself up with her shoulders back and her head held high to show him her respect.

She moved to do so.

"H-Hai….my father taught me to straighten myself up to look presentable to all whom are important. He said a respectable person holds their head high and will show this to all whom stand on their level. I am sorry; I hadn't meant to not do so within your presence. Please excuse my discourteous behavior." Replied Hinata while sitting on her legs, straightening her back and shoulders, and folding her hands neatly in her lap as she did so very often. She turned to look at him with a smile, thinking she was pleasing him. He was now looking at her with a raised brow.

'_That was not what I was getting at.'_ Thought Shikamaru before he sighed inwardly. _'How troublesome. Now I have to explain myself.'_

"Hinata, I wasn't implying that you should present yourself like you would normally do so. I was saying that it was nice to see you _not_ do so for a change. It made you look relaxed because whenever I see you in class, you always seem to look very tensed and a little stressed out. Your father may think it helps you or something. However my father found that relaxing your shoulders and back also relaxed your muscles. It makes it easier for you in the future so as you get older you won't have muscle and back problems like some people do because they would frequently straighten their posture. It stiffens the joints. I was only asking you if it was comfortable for you. I wanted to suggest that you not do it so very often. I wouldn't want you to have back problems."Shikamaru smirked at the last part. It was his way of being a little humorous. Trying to get a giggle out of or something; although, he honestly wasn't expecting it. On the other hand, he was satisfied with his answer. Hoping she understood what he was trying to say.

Hinata looked at him….and blushed profusely when she realized she had got it all wrong. He wasn't asking her to present herself accordingly. He was only trying to give her some good advice. Basically, he was asking her a question. She was supposed to give him the answer. And he was supposed to suggest something different for her. He was getting at something and she completely misunderstood.

'_How embarrassing..'_

"OH…g-gomen-nasai. I didn't mean to misunderstand. I-I'll get it right next time." Said Hinata with a quick nod as Shikamaru continued to look at her.

He took note that she had a tendency to over think everything that is asked of her. She would take a simple conversation and turn it into a large assessment. Like everything someone said to her had to be a case to study, analyze, and completely understand. He only asked her about her posture to start a simple conversation. It would have been very uncomfortable for him if she sat next to him and said nothing. He could feel the need to speak radiating off of her. He couldn't lie that he would have preferred silence if it was relaxing. If only she felt the same way. So he decided to talk about something he was curious of. Then again, he didn't want it to turn into something that would cause her to scratch at her brain to figure out.

He concluded that she simply wasn't made for an everyday interaction. She was strictly made for business because earlier in their previous classes, she understood everything that was given to her and had no incorrect answers and questions to anything. She handled their assignments with care and perfection. Even if it was only a test and review. She did everything flawlessly. She didn't even need his help. So why was it that this simple conversation seemed to leave her confused and completely misunderstand his question?

It was one question that anyone else would have understood and gave a simple answer to. She had obviously…..

'…_Over thought it.'_ He sighed again before turning away from her. "Yeah."

Silence feel upon them as the entire room seem to have become louder due to the chattering students. Hinata wanted to start another conversation that was directed toward him this time instead of her. Earlier she had intended to do so but she was going to talk about class or something. Perhaps she should ask him about his friend.

"A-ano…..Nara-san? I am curious about your friend I often see with you. May I ask why he is not present today? Normally he is by your side during all of the activities and occasions of the terms. I have not seen any sign of him. Was he excused?"

'_She's so precise.'_ Thought Shikamaru as he once again turned to look at her; this time in question. She could have simply said _"where's your friend"._ He would have understood since he was the only person Shikamaru considered a friend, everyone else to him was an acquaintance. Even if they've been around each other for many years, he only considered one person to be his friend.

Chouji Akimichi.

"Uh, yeah. Chouji. He's going to be away for awhile. He's visiting some family in another country somewhere. Umm, he said he wouldn't be back for some time." Dragged Shikamaru before a loud yawn replaced his voice as he moved to stretch out his legs and stare at them; continuing his answer. "I assume he won't be back until next year, but I could be wrong."

"Ah, yes."

Silence once again fell upon them, the student's chattering in the room were oddly becoming louder. However this went unnoticed by both Shikamaru and Hinata as they continued to wait for their instructor.

Hinata then decided to try another topic to pass the time until a loud voice boomed over the entire area of the large gym.

"I SAID LEAVE ME ALONE!!!"

"AND WHAT YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT, PINKY!!"

"I'LL KNOCK YOUR ASS OUT IF YOU KEEP BOTHERING ME!!"

"HA! THIS COMING FROM A TWO-BIT SLUT!!"

Both Shikamaru and Hinata turned their heads toward the area where the voices were coming from. They looked across the gym on the far end of the right corner where a large group of girls could be seen gathered around, what they assumed, to be the two girls arguing in the middle. They couldn't tell what the two girls looked like for they were too way away. However Hinata did recognize one of the voices as Haruno Sakura. The other one she wasn't so sure.

"YOU CAN KISS MY ASS!!"

"LIKE I'D EVER! BITCH!!"

'_The language.'_ Thought Hinata as her and Shikamaru both moved to stand up when more students ran over to join the crowd. This time the males on their end stopped what they were doing to watch what was going to happen. But a few, along with Hinata and Shikamaru stood their ground and watched from a distance.

"JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!!"

"WHY SHOULD I? YOU DON'T BELONG HERE!!"

"UGH, GROW UP!!! YOU'RE TWO YEARS OLDER THEN ME!!! ACT LIKE IT!!!"

"OH PLEASE, AT LEAST **I'M** STILL A VIRGIN!!!"

Some people gasped at this while others stood confused. Even Hinata was confused because she's never heard such a word before. At least, used in that manner. Her father told her a virgin was something that was completely pure. A person even. Like her for example. Her father told her to stay pure until she was of age; between eighteen and twenty. After that, she didn't know what was to happen; he didn't explain himself thoroughly about it. He only told her what he believed was enough for her to know right now since she was young. She was naturally curious of his meaning but she knew better then to question him further if he told her that was all for now. So why did the other girl refer to Sakura as not being pure? About what exactly? Maybe she should listen further.

* * *

Sakura blushed hard at this.

She stood in front of this girl she dubbed a snot-nosed bully with her hands fisted at each side; ready to pounce. This was the same girl who tripped her earlier in the hall. Her little friend was standing behind her like she was going to do something if Sakura was going to attack. Yeah, right she could take them both on. The girl in front of her wore thick black classes with bright red unruly hair and eyes. The smirk on her face was sickeningly disgusting while the girl behind her had dark blue spiked hair in a high ponytail with dark onyx eyes. She wore the same smirk if not so smug with her arms crossed in front of her chest.

Sakura could feel her blood begin to boil just by looking at them. She was naturally minding her own business before they decided to come over and bother her. They were only doing it because their damn teachers weren't around yet. One of the instructors came in to tell them to finish getting dressed because they were going to start soon. After that, they disappeared somewhere into their office outside of the gym room. That was twenty-minutes ago. Where the hell were their instructors when they needed them? As much as she would enjoy punching these two in the face, she honestly didn't want to because she wanted to respect her grandmother's wishes. However, if she was provoked, she would gladly knock them down an inch.

Sakura continued to glare at both of the girls, ignoring everyone else surrounding them as the girl behind the redhead stepped forward.

"Aw, what's wrong, whore-girl? Nothing to say about that? Aren't you going to retaliate or something? Or maybe you can't because it's true." The girl chuckled before glaring icily at Sakura. "I guess you get it from your mother."

A cord was struck as Sakura froze.

That was the last straw.

Sakura saw red.

She sucked in her breathe sharply and gathered as much strength as she could before tightening her fist harder and pulling it back.

The girl….didn't know what hit her.

* * *

A loud crack echoed over the large gym room before something heavy could be heard hitting and rolling on the glossy floor before hitting hard against the soft-matted wall. Everyone gasped in shock as all eyes landed on the area where Shikamaru and Hinata once stood.

It all happened so fast Hinata couldn't remember when Shikamaru grabbed her and pulled her into his arms to quickly move out of the way and closer to the boy's locker room door. That was the sole reason why they didn't go over to the large crowd. To avoid getting hit if something were to happen. At least that was Shikamaru's reason, Hinata didn't move because she wasn't sure of what was going on. She didn't want to just walk over. Also it had nothing to do with her, so she kept her distance while still listening. She couldn't ignore it since they were being so loud.

However she didn't know that a body would fly right in both her and Shikamaru's direction either.

They were so quick to get out of the way they hadn't realized they were clinging to each other. Or at least, Hinata was unknowingly clinging to him. Both of her hands were tightly tugging at his shirt. He wasn't clinging at all. More like…....protecting? His right hand was placed firmly on her upper back while his other hand was……….

…was…….

…oh…….

Hinata blushed deeply when she felt his hand down there. She couldn't necessarily blame him for it if he didn't know where to grab her. He was only thinking of getting her out of harm's way. But that didn't explain why his hand was still there and why she was still gripping his clothes.

Shikamaru silently grumbled to himself for having to use so much energy to keep them both from being plummeted into by some random girl he didn't know. It was the reason why he wanted to avoid going near the confrontation.

'_Of course if you don't, the confrontation would come to you. Of course.' _Thought Shikamaru sarcastically as he looked back and forth between the girl on the floor by the wall, who was now unconscious, and back at the large crowd who were all gawking at the space the girl was quickly removed from. Sakura was standing there with her fist extended as her eyes blazed a brilliant red. She then turned her head toward the red headed girl, who instantly flinched upon her gaze. And as fast as the wind, she was also sent flying into the same direction the girl went through. However this time she simply skidded against the hard floor before slowly being brought to a stop before hitting the wall. A fist mark was left printed on both of the girl's faces that were quickly fading into a dark bruise. Everyone in the room was amazed at this monstrous strength.

Shikamaru continued to watch as the Sakura female girl slowly stomped her way towards them as she punched her fists together, it only now occurred to him that she was going to continue her assault. Other females in the room hastily ran to assist the unconscious girls before Sakura could get to them.

'_Even if they're still unconscious she's going to beat on them? Kami, she's scarier than Okaa-chan." _Thought Shikamaru as he backed away from her though she was a distance away, he wanted to keep the distance far_. _Also, he could feel her unpleasant aura emitting off and around her. He truly didn't want to be caught up in that_. 'I'd stop her if I cared to. But that's what they get for messing with her. If only they left her alone.' _

Like him, most of the students must have agreed. For only few moved to stop her.

'_Most likely because they wanted see some action.' _Shikamaru thought as he watched as a few males pulled her back to keep her from moving. The males that didn't move scoffed at the pathetic scene when Sakura reached to pull at the collars of a couple of males shirts who were trying to hold her still. She began screaming at them for attempting to place their hands on her. He then turned away so he wouldn't watch anymore. He didn't care, so why watch.

He then felt something on his chest before looking down at the girl that was still held tightly within his arms. _'Oh that's right, I'm still holding her.'_ He then moved to pull away, only to stop after realizing he was touching something odd to him. _'What's that?'_ he thought as he slowly rubbed the area he was touching, curiosity was getting the best of him.

Unknown to him, Hinata was blushing furiously as her body began to heat up quickly for reasons unknown to her. _'Why is he…..?'_

The more he touched… the more tender it was….so he did the only thing that came to mind.

He gripped.

She squeaked.

He shot his hand away as soon as he figured out exactly what he was touching.

"G-gomen! I didn't mean to I…" They both shot away from each other and turned away. Shikamaru from embarrassment and Hinata from surprise and confusion.

Shikamaru blushed furiously. He didn't mean for his hand to go that low. He should have known that what he touching was a part of her, but he didn't think…..

'_Of course you didn't think curiosity got the best of you.'_ Shikamaru silently scolded himself while Hinata stood completely confused now that she was out of his arms. She was going to give it more thought…..however something interrupted the entire gym class.

The lights suddenly turned off as everything in the room fell silent. Since this was the gym room, there were no windows in sight to give at least some form of light. The room was completely dark. Pitch black. All of the commotion and movement within the room froze to a dead halt as a solid shiver ran down the spines of all who were still aware.

That only included two people.

And they didn't even know they were the only ones left in the now dark and empty room.

Hinata stood motionless as the unfamiliar feeling of fear took over body as her breathing increased with her heart racing.

She was utterly terrified; mostly to the fact that she couldn't see or hear anything. It was though she was deaf and blind at the same time. She was afraid, she wasn't used to this. What was she going to do in this awful predicament? What was she going to do? She had to do something, she couldn't just stand there. She had to find some sort of light or something….or maybe….

'_Nara-san…'_ Yes, this was the best idea to her right now, she had to find him. He was already near her before the lights went out, so maybe he was still there.

"N-Nara-san? Are you there? Nara-san?" Hinata moved her arms to reach about her while she took a shaky step forward. Hoping and praying she would soon run into something solid. This was very difficult if she couldn't see or hear anything but her own voice. She couldn't even hear her footsteps. Kami, she hoped she walked into him or something. Just so she knew she wasn't alone.

Then it dawned on her………

She stopped when realization hit her hard.

'_No….no….no…Kami…Please don't let it be that same….person from earlier please…Onegai….Onegai.' _Hinata then moved to hold herself. She knew she shouldn't have let the incident from earlier briefly leave her mind. She should have been on guard for it. She should have been expecting something to happen to her again throughout her entire day just in case. Even so, there was nothing she could really do about it. She couldn't stop whoever that man was from taking whatever she could possibly have from her. She had no way of doing so. Especially after what he did to her in class, she most definitely knew there was nothing she could do to stop him. He practically stopped time back then. What could she possibly accomplish?

Suddenly, something hard hit into her body, knocking her breathless to the floor; landing flat on her, now, aching back. She silently groaned from the impact, wondering exactly what hit her and why she didn't hear it coming. It may have been dark, but wasn't there ANY type of noise?

"Shannaro…" cursed a familiar voice that was close by her ear. Immediately, Hinata shot up to her feet from surprise before slightly backing up. She didn't expect any type of noise to be so close to her unexpectedly. Granted she wanted noise, but she didn't want it to be right in her ear. That alone only increased her fear for a moment.

"What the hell did I run into?"

Instantly, Hinata recognized who the voice belonged to.

"Haruno-san?"

A brief pause.

"AH!"

"Gomen-nasai, I didn't mean to startle you. I--"

"Shut up! Who are you? How do you know my name? And why is it so dark?! I can't see anything! Its pitch black in here, it's like I'm blind."

"I'm Hyuuga Hinata. We were sitting together at the same table in Chemistry. I don't know why it's so dark and I am in the same condition that you are. I cannot see either."

"Hyuuga Hina……. Oh you're that girl from earlier with the creepy guy telling you that you were a guardian or some crap?! What the hell happened? Did you make that person do this too?" the voice was accusing and loud as Sakura stood from her place on the dark floor and faced her body to where Hinata's voice could be heard. She may have been blind to this as well, but she knew to turn toward a voice that could be heard.

"I-I didn't—"Hinata paused after she completely registered the words Sakura had spoken. _'Did that mean—'_

"Hold on a moment, did you see as well as I of what happened, Haruno-san?" She had to know. In fact she wanted to know. She needed to know that she wasn't the only one that saw what the man did and said. She wanted to know that it was completely real and what was going on right now was reality as well. She truly needed to know.

"Of course I saw, I'm not blind! But…I didn't get to see his face….I…..Wait a minute; you still didn't answer my question. What is this guardian stuff?" Sakura took note that the odd feeling from earlier had returned but not as strong as it was if she were to actually see Hinata.

"Ano….I…. I don't know myself. I—"

"Uso, he seemed to know you pretty well if he was talking about your mother and something he wants from you!!" Sakura kept pushing for an answer since she didn't believe her. It didn't make sense to Sakura for Hinata to not know anything about what happened to her in class. Yeah, she remembered seeing Hinata's fearful gaze. However, she wasn't sure if it was because she was a afraid of a person she knew and owed something to. Or if she was afraid because, like her, she didn't know what was going on. Sakura hoped it was the first one for reasons unknown to her. She just wanted to have her questions answered.

Hinata, on the other hand, was feeling very pressured at the moment. She was being accused of something she knew little of. She was trying to tell the Haruno that she didn't know what was going on. She was trying to tell this girl that she didn't know what or who that person was. She was trying to tell her that she, as well as her, knew nothing about the situation and only wanted answers. Right now, she was the one that the finger was being pointed at. This alone was sending another unfamiliar emotion being brought upon her body.

"I understand it's just—"How was she to clarify anything if the girl didn't believe her and was going to keep interrupting her when she tried to explain?

"Bullshit, I saw it! Now give it to me straight, damn it!"

"Watch your mouth!" the words flew out of Hinata's mouth before she realized. And she covered it with her hand just as quickly. She has never told anyone to discontinue their use of certain language. What has taken over body all of a sudden? This girl was bringing in another emotion she didn't understand. What was it?

"Oh shut up your not my mother!" yelled Sakura. "Now tell me what's going on?!"

"I honestly don't know Haruno-san."

"Oh please you—"

"**I could tell you!"** a cold dark voice pierced through the air around both Sakura and Hinata as they instantly froze upon hearing it.

A deathly silence fell between the two for a very long moment until it was broken by Hinata.

"A-ano….H-H-H-Haruno-san? W-W-Was that—"

"I-I-Iie."

"O-oh…t-t-t-then w-who—"

"**ME!!"**

They both flinched and shivered upon hearing the loud thundering voice as they instantly wrapped their arms around themselves protectively. Who in kami's name was that and why did the deep voice sound so terrifying frightening. Being in the dark with something that scary was enough to make you pee your pants. Luckily they were directed to use the bathroom before class or they would most defiantly be soaking in their own bodily fluid. However, the sweating out of fear…..was beginning to replace that.

Creepy chuckled laughter could be heard echoing around them as the two girls continued to shiver. Hinata has never been this afraid in her entire life, this morning's event was nothing compared to right now. She could say that even if the lights were on, she would still be frightened. She didn't know what or who this thing was because it did not sound human at all. The voice and the laughter was no human. It sounded more like a…….

……..dare she think of this…….

'_Kaiju…'_ thought Hinata as she silently gulped to herself. As ridiculous as this sounded to her…..it was the only thing she could think of if it didn't sound human to her. It had to have been some sort of monster or something. It simply wasn't human.

'_What are we going to do if it is?' _thought Hinata and she soon realized that the mysterious voice, could hear her mind.

"**Nothing! You will do exactly as I tell you to do!! It's not like you have a choice in the matter anyway!! Hyuuga Hinata, Haruno Sakura!"**

Hinata and Sakura both jumped slightly upon hearing their names but didn't make any sudden movements. There was no place for them to hide and no place for them to go. They couldn't see and the only thing they could hear was the voice of this unknown being and themselves. He was right about the fact that there was nothing they could do. However, that didn't mean they would do exactly what he said. Depending on what he wanted anyway.

Silence was once again upon them as the two girls waited for him to continue with what he had to say. But when there was no immediate answer, Hinata worked up all the courage that was left in her body and said…..

"A-ano…..e-e-excuse me…Demo….What exactly do you want with us?" She spoke these words so quietly she wondered if the strange voice heard her.

They continued to wait for a long moment only for nothing to happen. Sakura gulped dryly, questioning whether or not she should move around to find a way out or something. She didn't want to stand and do nothing forever; she had to figure out a way to get away from this darkness. However she was too afraid to move. She didn't know what would happen if she dare try.

'_I'll have to risk it.'_ Thought Sakura; slowly and cautiously moving her right foot up before taking a step forward; soon after…she regretted doing so.

The ground instantly began to shake violently underneath their feet. Loud pounding noises could be heard around them as they desperately tried to keep their balance. The floor shook harder while gusts of powerful winds blew on all sides of their bodies. Suddenly knocking both girls off of their feet and into each other; Sakura grunted from the impact while Hinata squeaked before they were roughly thrown to the floor.

The ground beneath them continued to shake as more pounding of something solid could still be heard. Both girls were too afraid to move from their spots on the floor as they tightly closed their eyes; silently praying to themselves. They saw no point in trying to stand up so they stayed and waited for everything to stop.

After what seemed like forever to the two young girls, the room again, fell silent as the shaking suddenly stopped with the loud pounding fading with it. Something bright beamed against both of the girl's closed eyes as a bright pink could be seen behind their eyelids. It wasn't pitching dark like it was a moment a go. So this had to be light.

'_Light?' _they thought curiously as they slowly opened their eyes. They took note that since they were on the floor the only thing they could see was something solid and blue. The floor beneath them seemed much brighter than usual. And it wasn't that glossy light brown floor that it once was before. It felt additionally smoother. They both steadily stood up to get a better look.

They silently gasped to themselves upon staring at the most amazing thing they ever did see.

"Whoa…" whispered Sakura while slowly walking to stand next to Hinata.

"Hai….." replied Hinata slightly below a whisper.

Before them stood a considerably large sky-blue colored wall that was glistening brightly with radiance. It looked as though the wall was completely made out of smooth mirror glass that was thin enough to be seen through. However, their reflections were not showing. It also looked as though if one of them were to touch it, it would shatter into trillions of tiny sharp pieces. They didn't want that. Their eyes then moved towards the left, never leaving the glass wall before them, to see that the wall continued on down to form into a long bright passageway with more glass-like walls now on the other side of the large one they stood in front of. At the end, was another solid wall where these walls seem to connect to.

Both girls were astonished by this since they've never seen anything like it. It amazed them. Nevertheless, Hinata's amazement didn't last long for she realized sooner that they were not in their gym room. That was the most obvious thing to notice and they were standing there gawking.

"Where do you think…." Hinata then moved to look around the entire space they were in. Her mouth hung open when she did so. There were large glass-walls around them everywhere; all solid, neat, and enormously surrounding them. It was as though they were in a large squared room the only difference was that there was no ceiling. Above them looked completely dark as it was before only the place they were in was still very bright. She was beginning to wonder where the light came from. She didn't think it came from the walls because if it were so, then she probably would have had a hard time looking at it if the light was radiating off of it. She had to admit that it was shiny and all. But it didn't seem bright enough to beam so much light. On the other hand, she could most likely be wrong.

She then turned around to her right to see the long wide hall she saw before, only now since she got a good look at the room, that was the only way they could walk to if they wanted to see if there was a way out. But then again, from where she stood, it looked like a dead end. _'We should probably—'_

"AAH!!!" electrical sparks could heard flaring at a distance behind Hinata's back, causing her to jump in surprise before she quickly turned to see Sakura crumbling on the floor on all fours as she shook slightly while groaning in pain. Slowly trying to get up.

"Haruno-san!" Hinata shot to Sakura's side while grabbing her arm to gently help her to her feet.

"Haruno-san? Daijou-bu?" asked Hinata in question of what made Sakura hit the floor. In a daze, Sakura slowly shook her head trying to register what Hinata said to her. What the hell just happened? The only thing she remembered doing was reaching to touch the wall because she was curious of what it felt like; only for her to suddenly end up on the floor with Hinata helping her up as pain pulsated against her left hand.

"Haruno-san? Are you alright?" Hinata asked again once Sakura completely stood up on slightly shaken feet.

"Yeah, I think so. I…Give me some space!!" yelled Sakura once she fully came to. Feeling Hinata's hand on her arm was quickly making her uncomfortable as she pulled away from Hinata before taking a few steps back. "Don't you ever touch me again! I don't like to be touched!"

Hinata stood confused as she watched Sakura fold her arms against her chest and turn away from her. What did she do wrong to make her so mad? She was only trying to help her. She thought everyone did that when someone was hurt. On the other hand, there were people like Sasuke and Naruto. So she couldn't exactly say EVERYONE. However more, the least she could have done was thank her.

'_She's so rude.'_

"Haruno-san? Are you—"

"I'm fine. I don't know what happened. I was only reaching to touch the glass and then…well…..I ended on the floor. Nothing more…" grumbled Sakura. Instantly as that, pain shot again in her hand and she quickly reached to hold it.

"Ow..ow..ow."

"Are you positive you're okay, Haruno-san? Do you remember what hap—"

"Look, how about you go and touch it and see what happens to you. That way I won't have to talk anymore."

Hinata sighed inwardly; she was beginning to wish Shikamaru was with her right now, at least he would have been kind to her. And since he was highly intelligent he would think of something they could do. At least that's what she thought.

She then faced the wall that was behind them, if she wanted to know what happened to Sakura then she might as well do it herself to see. Sakura either didn't remember or refused to tell her so the same thing can happen to her. She didn't know. She might as well try. She then steadily walked towards the large blue wall, stopping a couple of feet away from it as her hand slowly reached out…..

"**Ah, ah, ah…don't touch the walls…."** The voice laughed darkly….**"It's….electrifying."** the same voice from earlier laughed loudly as it thundered into both Sakura and Hinata's ears. Causing them both shiver and cover them quickly.

"**I would have said the same to your foolish friend but since she was sooooooooo curious. I simply had to watch!! HAHAHA!!! Foolish mortals!!"**

Sakura may have been scared again but she was surely pissed. Hinata backed away from the wall and stood a ways closer to Sakura. Both girls waiting for the frightening voice to continue.

"**As I told you earlier!! You will do as I tell you!! And as you see here…you have no choice!!"** boomed the voice causing both girls to move a few inches closer together. Hinata then believed that now would be the best opportunity to ask a few questions. Hopefully, they would be answered before anything else happened to them.

"A-a-no….what is it that you want from us? Please tell us!" asked Hinata as kindly as she could. The voice said nothing for a moment as they both listened carefully for an answer. The answer they received…wasn't the answer they were expecting.

"**RUN!!!"**

They gasped in unison from confusion and fear by what exactly the one word could possibly mean for them. Yeah, they understood run.

But from what?

"**YOURSELF!!"** boomed the voice again as the girl's bodies instantly stiffened. Their small minds were utterly mystified.

'_NANI?!'_

Droplets of water were suddenly dripping a few feet in front of them; pouring down rapidly into a large puddle that ground seemed to have somehow melted into. Sakura and Hinata watched in amazement as the puddle then split itself into two puddles with the pouring drops of liquid became larger and larger before bursting into a thin mid air waterfall. It continued to pour into the twin puddles as it oddly turned into the same material that looked to be what the walls were made up of. It built itself up as it began to shape into something more cube-like until it reached about 5 feet in height. The waterfall faded into nothing as the cubes instantly began to crack.

Sakura and Hinata watched motionless as they waited to see what was about to happen. They would run if they could but their bodies weren't registering anything other then what was to be expected from the breaking glass-like cubes in front them. Without delay, the broken cubes shattered into tiny pieces as both girls flinched and moved to back away from getting cut. They briefly looked away so the shattered glass wouldn't cut their eyes…..and when they turned back……..

They instantly sucked in their breath in utter disbelief; for a moment, their hearts skipped a few beats.

There in the left cube's place stood an exact replica of Haruno Sakura. Only this version of her held a large scythe in her hand. Her eyes looked frighteningly vicious with her mouth turned up into a wide evil grin. Instead of wearing what Sakura was wearing, her next to nothing gym uniform, this version of her was wearing her school uniform. Only it was black. Everything was black. This version of her even wore lipstick and eye shadow with painted nails. Why was this? Sakura then turned to gawk at the weapon in her hand.

'_What the hell is she going to do with that?'_

Sakura did not want to know.

Now in the right cube's place, stood an exact replica of Hinata. Only this version of her also had a large weapon in her hand. A very large chained mace. The large ball of spikes was resting on the floor by her feet with the silver chain wrapped tightly between her small hands. Her eyes were wide and emotionless as her mouth curved into a wide smirk. It looked as though she was about to grin only it stopped short with her darkened smirk. She was wearing the same as the other girl next to her, only hers was a deep blue and not black. She also wore the lipstick, eye shadow, and painted nails. However that within itself was not what made Hinata worried, it was the weapon in her hand. She could only imagine what the girl was going to do with the weapon in her hand; and not just her, the other girl as well.

'_Run! Run! Run! Run!!!'_

Both Sakura and Hinata's minds screamed at them to move away before their duplicates decided to make the first move. This was exactly why the mysterious voice told them to run. They were supposed to get a head start before a chase began. They assumed that that's what the two girls were mostly likely going to do regardless. They were going to be chased by them. And the weapons…..oh they didn't want to imagine the weapons. They should have already known as soon as they saw them.

The duplicated Sakura then made the first move by slowly lifting the large scythe in her hand as she pulled it back; stopping slightly behind her. Sakura's breathe caught in her throat as she anticipated the worse. She knew she had to move but her body wasn't communicating well with her mind. Her body was frozen and scared. Her mind was screaming for her to run. Why wasn't she moving?!?!

At least she wasn't the only one having the same problem.

Hinata too was having a difficult time with trying to move away. She wanted to do so, so badly. However her mind and body weren't agreeing. She was too afraid to take a few steps back or anything. She was too afraid to run away as fast as she could. Why was this happening? She was obviously in danger; she should run away before….

Her eyes then widened even more so then before as she watched the duplicated version of herself, slowly pull at the chain in her hand, wrapping some of the metal along her arm. As though she was getting ready for a strong pull at the end to help lift up the heavy looking mace on the other side.

If Sakura and Hinata didn't make a move now…..

As nature would usually have it when one was in shock and danger….the two girls attacked. And THAT'S when they decided to move.

The girl with the mace pulled hard at her chain with the large ball of spikes lifting high in mid air before her right foot connected firmly against the edge; Sending it flying towards Hinata's head. Hinata quickly ducked down and out of the way as her hands shot to cover her head before a large gust of wind blew from behind her when the large mace hit hard into the ground instead; sending a few pieces into air. She didn't wait to see what would happen after that for adrenaline surged through her body as she took off running.

At the same time, the girl with the scythe swung hard with her weapon heading straight for Sakura's body. It would cut Sakura right down the middle if she quickly hadn't backed out of the way. Causing the large scythe blade to connect with the ground; shattering all that was around it with loud boom echoing into the air. Wind blew hard from impact as Sakura covered her face before she too, took off running.

Both girls' ran past the other two since they were already cornered were they once stood. They knew they had to run past them and head straight for the long passageway they were once staring at before. They hoped and prayed that there was another way to run instead of running into a dead end. From where they were, it looked like a dead end. However they weren't sure, this was their chance to find out if there was another way to run or not. Kami, they hoped it was.

They continued to run, hoping to make it to the end of the passageway before their attackers decided to make another attempt at striking them again. However as soon as they neared to the end, the large silver mace blew past their heads in between them in a haste as the razor-sharp spikes lightly cut into their smooth skin; Leaving a three long scars on the sides of their cheeks. They slightly cringed from this, but that didn't stop them from running as they watched the chained mace land straight into the solid blue wall at the end. They could see the electricity from it begin to spark violently from the impacted mace that looked as though it was stuck. The long chain was still between them when they continued to run as the electricity from the cracked wall became larger around the mace before the electricity surged ferociously along the chain. Hinata's eyes widened from them as she tried to distance herself from the chain before the electrical current surged by them. Only it was too late.

The electrical current surged by them as it sparked violently off of the chain as a large amount of bright electrical discharges bolted into both Sakura and Hinta's arms.

"AAH!!!"

They screamed in pain as the electrical volts shot from the arms and surged throughout their entire bodies; causing them stop and go stiff as they lit up. They continued to scream as tears began to pour from their eyes of the increased amount of pain they were receiving. They've never felt so much pain all at once in their entire lives. It hurt so badly they shook involuntarily from the high voltages that were electrifying their veins. Hoping and praying that it would stop soon.

The two other girls watched; the one holding the chain was unfazed when the electrical current reached to her end. She then gripped the connected metal before roughly pulling at it. Causing the mace in the wall to disconnect itself as the electrical current immediately stopped, also causing the high voltages to disappear as Hinata and Sakura instantly hit the floor on their backs as a faint mist radiated off of them. The mace flew passed them and landed on the floor by its wielder's feet.

Hinata lay in a complete daze as she stared dead at the darkness above her, pain pulsating from everywhere. Red marks covered her entire body in blotches from where the electrical sparks must have hit her directly. Her breathing was slow and ragged as her nerves twitched in several different parts of her body. This kind of electrocution was enough to kill her, why was she still breathing? She then tried to move her head to see if Sakura was still alive as well, however pain shot up in her neck as it signaled her to not move another inch. She sought against that since she really wanted to see if Sakura was still alive, so she continued to turn her head slowly towards her left; ignoring the pain the best she could.

A few feet next to her, lay Sakura with her head facing towards Hinata. Her eyes too were in a daze as she stared in Hinata's direction. Her hair looked a little frizzed as red marks also covered different areas of her body. She was lying completely still, making it difficult for Hinata to make out any kind of movement from her chest.

'_Oh please, don't be dead.'_ Thought Hinata as fear slowly over took her pain. She stared straight at Sakura's chest, waiting patiently for any type of movement. '_Onegai, Haruno-san. Please.'_

Everything seemed to stop in Hinata's world as she stared at Sakura's chest. And when it heaved, relief overcame her. _'Arigatou Kami. She's alive.'_

Sakura continued to stare in Hinata's direction as Hinata stared in hers. Sakura didn't know what to do or think as she lay there. Pain was pulsating through her body as well and she didn't dare move. She was in too much pain to do so. She was a bit relieved to see Hinata was alive as well. And when Hinata turned to look at her she knew that Hinata was seeking to know the same thing of her. She hadn't even realized that they were forgetting something until it was too late think. A shadow covered over her light as she watched as Hinata's eyes widened.

'_Oh no..'_ thought Sakura as she slowly turned her head to look above her. Pain shot in her as she cringed, breathing heavily to push pass it and stare the figure above her. The other version of herself self stood with her scythe pulled back behind; ready to strike.

'_Kuso.'_ Cursed Sakura…was this her end?

Hinata froze when she saw the duplicated Sakura walk up to the real Sakura and pull back her scythe. 'No, Haruno-san!' There was nothing she could do, all she could do was watch. She didn't want her to be killed, especially if she lay there helpless. All they could really accomplish is running away. There was no way they could do anything against them. They were normal girls. What could they possibly…?

'_Guardian..'_

The voice echoed in Hinata's mind as the event from earlier played itself over and over again. The man's words reoccurring all over again within her ears.

'_You have something I want……Guardian..'_

Hinata silently gasped to herself. That's right. She had something they want. However she didn't know what. If giving them what they want would make them leave them alone so they could go home then she would gladly do so. But what is it? What is the thing she has that they want? She knew she had to figure this out quickly, before Sakura was hurt or killed. She knew she had to say something to stop her so they would listen to her. But are they the ones she talk to? Or was it the mysterious voice that she had to talk to? Who was it? She didn't know. She was beginning to panic; she had to figure this out and quickly before…

Her light was suddenly being blocked by something as well; along with a small breeze lightly blowing over her body. And when Hinata turned her head, her duplicated self was standing over her with the large mace being twirled slowly over her head as she got ready to attack.

'_No, what am I going to do. I'm too weak to move. What do I do? All of this happened so quickly. What do I do?'_

The scythe over Sakura was swung as the mace above Hinata was thrown.

Before an impact could be made, a bright light beamed before them, out shinning the entire room; causing both girls to close their eyes from its brightness. And as soon as the brilliant light faded; both Sakura and Hinata made no move to open their eyes. Not really sure, if they should.

"Hinata……"

Hinata's eyes shot open.

"Sakura…"

Sakura's eyes shot open.

That was not who they thought it was.

It just couldn't be.

_**

* * *

**_

_**A/N- Yeah, I know…I stopped it there…I would have made it longer but I sought against it and made the next chapter from this chapter. I'm already half finished, and I like so far. More action and Shikahina. I'm letting them get to know each other slowly since that's how reality is. You don't just….click in one day. I hate those fics. Kissing in the first chapter….no…unless it's a prologue. I just don't like it. I can't see things like that happening out of no where. I understand click/connection…but kissing….no…Anyway, I'm sorry if the action didn't last long or was a crappy description. I tried. I did. I really did. And not how they didn't get anywhere after they ran, I meant to take that somewhere. But decided not to. You'll understand later. Hehe…Oh...and sorry if it was boring again...hehe...I try.  
**_

_**Next Chapter: A Mother's Return**_

_**Later!! XD**_


End file.
